Melbourne-based lo-fi/ indie/ folk band Soda Eaves have recently released their second album. Drifting from incidental dream-pop to imagist folk songs; from warped tape loops to swirling strings and dense, clattering percussion it’s a stunningly understated release titled Murray, Darling.
Primarily the solo effort of Jake Core, Soda Eave features contributions from a number of friends, including Jordan Ireland, Alec Marshall (Hot palms, Sui Zhen) and Oliver Mestitz (The Finks).
Jake explains how the record came about “Murray, Darling was recorded just outside Malanda, in the Atherton tablelands. My good friend Sam Rowe lives up there, with his wife Jes Meacham. They were kind enough to let me take over their living room for a week. They also contributed a bunch to the record. Jordan Ireland took care of the technical side of things, and played a number of instruments too.
The recording process consisted predominately of playing pool, swimming at Lake Eacham, and midday drinking. It was the middle of the wet season, so we had to try to get takes done in between the constant storms and showers.
We spent about 6 months mixing / editing the tracks – in Malanda, Stanwell Park, and Melbourne – but the finished album ended up pretty close to those original recordings I think.”
To celebrate its release, Jake has kindly penned a track by track run down of the album which you can check out below. Give it a spin and if you like what you’re hearing be sure to visit the Soda Eaves Facebook page.
Aphrodisia
I’d like to know more about Greek mythology, if only to (mis)appropriate it for my own purposes, like in this song. Jord, Jes and I did most of the percussion for the album in about an hour, in a circle on the floor, trying to harness some sort of cosmic energy. I think the way it turned out in this song – along with the strings – really informed the overall sound the album. The warped, clattering, sleepy kinda vibe.
Darling
This is the first of a number of instrumental tape-loop passages. These are interspersed throughout the record, blurring the edges of where one song ends and another begins. That was the idea anyway. I called it ‘Darling’ because it’s prettier than ‘Murray’.
The Starset Hotel
I like to think of this song as a power balled that’s fallen asleep at the bar. Lyrically, it’s pretty literal stuff. The Apartments have a great song called Sunset Hotel. I borrowed/stole the title from that.
Victoria
A driving song. This one is a true story. I wrote it down pretty much as it happened. I saw a woman in an old Mercedes at the lights in St Kilda. She looked like a lost, fierce character – glamorous without being extravagant. It seemed like a very Victorian scene to me.
Benny and the Jets
Another driving song, though this time from the passenger perspective. Originally I wrote this as a poem, then Hot Palms put it to music, with Emma Russack singing. This is a cover of that song. I wasn’t sure what to call this one. I wanted to work in some of Bernie Taupins’ bizarre lyrics about
‘electric boots’ and ‘solid walls of sound’, but in the end decided to keep it simple and stick with the original title. A spade is a spade, a mohair suit is a mohair suit.
Shadows Edge
This one was written really slowly- a line here and there, just whenever they turned up. I’m not really sure what it’s about. It’s a bit of a dream-song, in that it works on it’s own logic. I get a kick out of this one, but have the feeling it might be a bit of a non-event for anyone else. I imagine everyone has songs like that.
Murray
This is the centre of the record, in a smudged kinda way. It’s a weird one. It’s made up of a bunch of different loops, all fading in and out of each other. I don’t remember how it came together.A friend once told me that there is no real formula for turbulent water. I named this ‘Murray’ with
that in mind.
Lemonade
This started as a white blues kinda thing. I assumed it was a lost cause. Jord helped re-arrange it – added a few different chords, changed the melody around a bit. I’m grateful to him for that. It’s a folk song. A suite of verses moving towards the same intangible image.
Holy Ghost
Another tape loop – I think from an op-shop cassette of wurlitzer pop covers – sped up then slowed back down, or vice versa. The sound of laughter in this is real though. A genuine field recording. It’s a bunch of men out back of pub near newcastle. I don’t know what the joke was. Must have
been good.
