Music is, as far as I'm concerned, the most utterly subjective experience we can purchase in the commercial world. It runs deep within us, connected mostly to our adolescence, where the importance of music cannot be underestimated. When we are teenagers, music "understands" us, and so intoxicated do we become with the perceived empathy of those who seem to sing solely to us, no other entertainer or public figure is subject to as much obsession and devotion. When we're older, this tends to fade, of course. We become more objective, less obsessed, and less prone to the beauty of art and creation. We grow up, in other words. But, every now and then, we have a moment in time - a private moment of self-indulgence, vicariously facilitated by someone we don't even know - and through another's words and sounds, we rejoice in a part of ourselves. It doesn't happen very often for me, I must confess; but, many years ago, I found a record that "spoke to me", and I fell in a love that was decidedly more about myself than it was the woman responsible for this record. It was the critically acclaimed debut from British outfit, Goldfrapp, Felt Mountain. I am eternally grateful. However, years later, with their fourth studio album, Seventh Tree (released in February), the love affair is fading.

 

Yes, yes, she skipped down that street, where friends and strangers sometimes meet. We'll forgive her, that. But with all due respect, the 90's Aussie icon of all things indie, Frente!, had some fine moments, and it was a shame that bloody song eventually usurped these, in the broader cultural memory. "Ordinary Angels" was almost as big, and three times as good. And when I last saw Angie Hart and her band (it's been drawn to my attention that Angie has completed a couple of minor projects since, but alas, I never heard them), they left with the bang they entered with, by grabbing a hit remake of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle; the only problem with this, being that it was, itself, an accidental hit that began as a mere B-side to a much better song that failed to take flight. So, what a joy it was to find that Angie Hart's long awaited return echoes more the feel of this track (Lonely) than the sound she became remembered for. "Grounded Bird" is the name of the new album, released through ABC. And what sad, sweet, and superlative songs, this bird sings.