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5 Australian albums that you need to hear: a list by Thomas Keating

Not last week we came across Thomas Keating and his latest track I’ll Break Your Heart, an endearing new single from the songwriter and a potent display of his abilities.

We dug the track, and we wanted to know more. So we had Thomas put together a list of five Australian albums everyone should hear, because you can never listen to too many Australian albums.

Take it away, Thomas.

thomas keating

Digging for some Australian music to listen to? Take a list of five, courtesy of Melbourne singer/songwriter Thomas Keating.

The Triffids – Born Sandy Devotional

I’d heard about The Triffids for many years but never actually had the chance to listen to them.

First Time I heard them I was on tour with Oh Mercy and Alexander Gow was blasting them from the back of his tour van after a show in Wollongong, cursing me for never having heard the record. I admired Alex as a performer and for his songwriting so I listened up big! It has become one of my all-time favourites and an album I often turn to for inspiration.

The Drones – Havilah

This is an album I can never skip past, it is so well crafted down to the finest detail. The songwriting, the production, the musicianship, the running order, Gareth Liddiard’s unique and intricately played guitar make for an album that is hypnotically engaging from start to finish.

This band is and always will be a national treasure.

Jen Cloher – In Blood Memory

This is a beautiful record. The closing track Hold My Hand is a masterpiece in my eyes.

I had the pleasure of opening for Jen when she brought this album to the Newtown Social Club in Sydney, she is an amazing performer and songwriter, a true master of her craft and her dedication to her fans is admirable.

Oh Mercy – Deep Heat

I haven’t enjoyed many albums the way I enjoy this one. It’s an album you can dance to but still has songs with great depth, provoking thought and emotion whilst seamlessly driving you to a place of freedom with its grooves and jives.

It was a bold move for the band to step this way after the folk masterpiece Great Barrier Grief. I always find it exciting when you hear an artist’s new album and it isn’t what you except.

Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel

When she sings I know what she’s talking about, there is an honesty and a vulnerability to her songwriting which encapsulates so much of how it feels to be a human being navigating life. There is such relief in listening to music that you identify with, delivered with such candour.

This album is narrative-based songwriting at its finest.

 

Listen to Thomas Keating’s new single I’ll Break Your Heart below.

You can also catch Thomas live on any of the following tour dates:

Friday 21 September – Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle
Friday 28 September – The Botany View Hotel, Sydney
Saturday 29 September – The Wesley Anne Hotel, Melbourne