+ i'm a storm in a teacup

I've been trawling through the Oz Music Project archives lately and came across a couple of old reviews that I'd written back in 2000. Turns out I didn't write much for the OMP in the end. I'm hardly prolific at the best of times, but I was already doing the Tribe and Yap columns at the same time (and getting paid for it no less) and Osmosis was a fairly time-consuming exercise as it was. But of the very few reviews that I did do, I'm glad to say that I still stand by the two major pieces I'd written - I still feel the same way about the bands and the records, and I don't mind the way it was written as well. Looks like I still use the same turns of phrases, the same way of describing music and the same type of hyperbole today as I did then. Some things don't change.

The first one's here - Deloris, The Pointless Gift. (Incidentally have been going through a big Deloris phase in the last couple days from having seen them play at Hopetoun on the weekend just past. Everytime I see them play, a renewed love appears. It's like one of those gas flames in the old fashioned water heaters in the bathrooms of art deco apartment buildings - might be turned down, but never off and ready to ignite when the timing is right!)

It's been a good year for Australian music (and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!) What's more exciting is that many of them are coming from fairly young bands, putting out only their first or second full length releases, often astonishing us with well crafted songs and acutely coherent albums. Even as we draw ominously close to the years' end, it's still a tough decision as to who will come out on top. That said, I think I may have found a winner already.

Melbourne boys Deloris offer such an outstanding and accomplished album in The Pointless Gift, that I have no choice but to lavish praise. With 12 songs, and clocking in well over an hour, it leaves you emotionally involved but never spent. A considered structure that flows easily, The Pointless Gift glides effortlessly from a gripping rock approach to the tender romanticism that will eventually mark the longevity of the album, and the band.

It's also been a long journey for Deloris, having recorded the album well over a year ago in Perth with Braving the Seabed co-horts and only finally releasing it this month through Quietly Suburban Recordings. Since recording the album, Deloris have also gained a second guitarist (Leigh) and parted ways with their drummer (Luke). Still, it's a changing dynamic that the band are pleased with, particularly as it's helped translate the album to the stage.

From the first word, The Pointless Gift grabs you by the collar and holds you hostage for 12 minutes with a driving bassline, insistent, chiming guitars and a deft touch on the snares. Just as they did on the debut Fraulein, two of the album's boldest tracks signal the start of a Deloris experience. But don't get too comfortable. Befitting its title, Creeping Jesus slips in unnoticed and before long it too occupies your mind with thoughts of serenity and spontaneity, and images of sand and sun.

This vivid imagery is an apparent feature of most of the tracks, and one of Deloris' strongest traits. Marcus' development as a songwriter comes to the fore as less of their influences are worn on their sleeves as it did with the first. He has since honed his craft as a wordsmith, deriving a gentle turn of phrase to capture a moment or essence in time.

Lines like "when they mean that I have to say all this, when like feathers the salt just rolls off her lips" (taken from Bird Pictures) and "he can notice rust on the ringlets of his shoes and yet he seems to lose the detail in the way she likes to lean on the seams of his jeans" (Good Parts) make for vibrant and animated pictures that reveal just enough to keep the mystique, and leave you wondering why events happened they way they have.

Sonically, the boys have also shown great improvement. Already hinting at their potential on Fraulein with dark, persistent numbers that progressed beyond a crunching rock piece like Death of a Horse, all the musicians on The Pointless Gift (Braving guests included) became a lot more adventurous with adopting new sounds and new ways of creating dramatic effect. In addition, they've provided the perfect balance between a cacophony of guitars and cymbals and understated pauses and muted undertones of piano and strings.

Deloris have exceeded all expectations and delivered a first rate album that I have faith will still hold true in the years to come.