the best of 1990 > 2000
(2000)
epic 5011412000
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Original Press Release
One
bit of Strawpeople trivia before we recap their
life and times. In Gus Van Sant's great black
comedy To Die For, in an effort to seduce a
none-too-bright local white trash high school
kid into committing murder, Nicole Kidman's
character is seen doing a seductive shimmy to
Strawpeople song Wings of Desire.
It wasn't just a lucky break on a soundtrack --
it was proof that, even if their electronic
sound was always too thoughtful for the demands
of club land, yes, you could dance to
Strawpeople.
Well at least famously married Australian
actresses playing murderous,
psychopathically-ambitious weathergirls from
smalltown USA could ... .Anyway, it's funny to
think that on this collection that Strawpeople
are looking back at a decade of work. Strange,
because as they've gone from album to album --
and there's been five now plus a remix
collection -- Strawpeople always sounded like
the sound of a pop future that was just around
the corner.
Arguably, that corner was always somewhere in
inner city Auckland, Strawpeople's stomping
ground. In an odd way these tracks might be
considered the place's soundtrack in the 90s. A
period when the South Pacific metropolis started
to assert an urban style and culture of its own,
and the rest of the world came closer,
especially digitally.
It was also place where it was finally okay to
be a band who would rather spend their time
fiddling with the machinery of recording studios
(initially others' eventually their own),
writing songs, or deconstructing others'.
Strawpeople always did canny cover versions in
their early years, back when the group was the
original partnership of Paul Casserly and Mark
Tierney, right from their attention-getting
debut single, a remake of the Swingers' twitchy
guitar pop classic One Good Reason as funky
electronic torch pop. Along they way they've
translated songs by the Church, John Hiatt, and
the Cars. And when he wasn't adding dulcet
trumpet to the occasional track, the songs of
Greg Johnson have long found an outlet on
Strawpeople albums.
But
at the microphone Casserly, who now is
Strawpeople after Tierney's departure in the mid
90s, has always preferred a woman's touch. Among
the longest serving have been Fiona McDonald who
was there as a voice and co-writer from
Worldservice and was the sole voice on Vicarious
before she headed solo, while other albums have
showcased the talents of Stephanie Tauvehi, Leza
Corban and singer-arranger-composer Victoria
Kelly.
That's meant in New Zealand, at least,
Strawpeople rewrote the rules of a what a pop
band could be. It could be a studio-only unit
with an ever changing cast. It could be about
music that only exists only via electronic media
(hence the title of wireless-friendly album
titles Worldservice and Broadcast). It could
sound like dance music but also be about songs
best contemplated while sitting quite still at
home. And it could make pop that was grown-up
and stylish.
So, Strawpeople as the New Zealand band of the
90s? Well, if that title was handed out on the
basis of longevity, consistency and unfailingly
good contemporary taste, Casserly and his
cohorts deserve it. You'll find plenty of
arguments for that notion within. Bet Nicole
can't wait for her copy. But that Tom bloke
better look out for himself. -- Russell Baillie,
September 2000
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