Mess Esque

オーストラリアからポストロックを牽引してきたDIRTY THREEのMICK、彼が新しく結成したユニットMESS ESQUE。共通の友人を介して知り合った、HELENという相棒と共に練り上げたセルフタイトルのデビュー作で、夢見心地な体験を提供!

メルボルン在住のMICKとブリスベン在住のHELENがデータのやり取りで制作を進めていった本作。その為まだ1回も現実で顔を合わせていないという(!)、凄まじく変則的な流れ。それなのにデビュー作とは思えない息ピッタリな演奏を披露!HELENの儚さと強さを秘めたヴォーカルとDIRTY THREEでの美しい鋭利な音と全く違う、滑らかで効果音的な役割のギターがとにかく耳を惹く!他の楽器も担当したMICKのバンドサウンド美学が溢れている所もGOOD!

MICK監督の実験的なMV、名門DRAG CITYからリリースとまだまだ話題は尽きませんが、まずはストレートでメロウな"TAKE IT OUTSIDE"をどうぞ!

Mess Esque combines the talents of Mick Turner of Dirty Three (and numerous other projects over the years) and Helen Franzmann, who records under the name McKisko. They met through a mutual friend and decided to collaborate, though circumstances meant that while they shared a continent -- Australia -- they were only able to work remotely. This is their second album, and the pattern follows that of their first. It pairs the haunting, barely-above-a-whisper vocals of Franzmann with the sympathetic backing of Turners guitar, bass, organ, and drums. He fills the space behind her wandering words with what sounds like a full complement of like-minded musicians improvising like their brains are connected by ESP. Its sparse and loose, but balanced like a tightrope walker, especially on the tracks that stretch beyond the five-minute mark and reach for Talk Talk-esque realms of feeling. That band is certainly a touchstone for the project, but it also calls to mind late-period Pastels albums or anything from Tenniscoats, two groups who also meld innocence and calm while plumbing great depths of emotion. There is also plenty of Australian DNA running through their veins, with songs like Forever coming across like a restrained take on the nocturnal grandeur of Rowland S. Howards These Immortal Souls or the epic-length Jupiter landing with all the gut-wrenching power of Nick Caves best work, minus the histrionics. Franzmanns vocals are more about nibbling around the edges of emotion, feeling like the last words said before drifting off to sleep or mumbled in a dream. Its a good trick that draws the listener in, beckoning them closer and wrapping them in mystery. Turner never steps on her fragility, bolstering Franzmanns most intimate words with subtle swells of keyboards or gentle stabs of twanging guitar. When she does impart a little more urgency, as on the stunning climax of Jupiter or on Take It Outside, which pushes the tempo and is the most songlike song on the album, Turner matches her with tighter, more synchronous playing. The duo lock together like theyve been playing with each other for years, not first-timers, and the level of quiet intensity they achieve is breathtaking and inspiring. ~ Tim Sendra