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Feelin Kinda Free
Studio album by
The Drones
Released18 March 2016
Recorded2015 - 2016
StudioTFS Studios, Fitzroy North (Melbourne)[1][2]
Genre
Length40:02
LabelTropical Fuck Storm Records
The Drones chronology
I See Seaweed
(2013) 		Feelin Kinda Free
(2016)
Singles from Feelin Kinda Free
  1. "Taman Shud"
    Released: 12 December 2015
  2. "To Think That I Once Loved You"
    Released: 19 January 2016

Feelin Kinda Free is the sixth studio album from Australian band The Drones, and their final one before going on hiatus. Having grown tired with the more rock-oriented sound of the band up until that point, frontman Gareth Liddiard became fascinated with both vintage and modern electronic equipment - ranging from drum machines and samplers to the Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer - in conceiving the album's sound. Its genre-defying[10][6] musical style has been described as visceral and ominous, featuring a relative absence of guitars and a prominent use of electronic textures. Its sessions also marked the first appearance of drummer Christian Strybosch since 2005's Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By.

Their shortest at just over 40 minutes, the album received fairly positive reviews for its eclectic sound and Liddiard's darker, more politically-charged lyricism. It also charted at #12 on the ARIA Charts - the band's highest till date.[11] The album went on to appear on numerous year-end lists and would later be chosen by Junkee as one of the best Australian albums of the decade.

Background

After the release of I See Seaweed in 2013, Drones founder Gareth Liddiard expressed his desire to step away from the more rock-centric style of previous Drones albums on their next project.[12] "Before we moved to Melbourne back in the 90s," he said in an interview with Musicfeeds, "we were a very weird sounding band. It was Melbourne that turned us more into a rock band, which kind of helped us to get gigs. This is a return to the way we were before in a way – getting drunk, getting stoned, noodling on anything you can find and making weird little songs."[13]

The whole thing was to not have blues guitars in it [...] I’d been listening to really old four-track tapes from the '90s that me and [former The Drones member] Rui [Periera] made, and they’re all totally bizarre. It was almost as though having two guitars playing American-ish, country-ish, blues-ish guitars music – that was a stretch for us. We had to learn how to do that. But just being completely f-cking weird is so natural. It was a relief. Everyone was on [our] side, everyone was cool.[14]

Recording

The Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer inspired a lot of the album's textures and sounds

The album, recorded in the band's studio in the Fitzroy North suburb of Melbourne, was mixed on the desk that was reportedly used by Nile Rodgers for Madonna's Like a Virgin.[1] It was mixed by Aaron Cupples,[15] who had previously co-produced 2006's Gala Mill[16] and would go on to mix Tropical Fuck Storm's debut A Laughing Death in Meatspace. Drummer Christian Strybosch, who had previously drummed on the band's first two releases, performs on this album having replaced Mike Noga in 2014.[1]

Liddiard described the genesis of the album's sonic experimentation as follows:

We rented out this studio with a couple of mates. One of those mates, Phil, had stopped being interesting in buying vintage rock & roll equipment. He moved over to buying hip-hop equipment – vintage stuff that acts like Public Enemy or Kool Keith would use. We had all that shit laying around for the first time in our life – synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, stuff like that. He had an OP1, a very modern synth, and I became fascinated with that to the point where I bought my own.[13]

Noting that recording the album had taken them an entire year, Strybosch expanded upon the album's recording process in an interview with Tone Deaf:

Rather than just bashing away at drums and guitars…this time we used more triggers and loops, synth, minimal guitars in places, mixed samples with live…sometimes it’s like working at a little space station. It was conscious in the way that we wanted it to sound different from other (The Drones) records, and I think we achieved that.[17]

Despite this, a majority of the album's effects were, according to Liddiard, generated on guitar.[14]

Content

Style

"Rock music's been done to death, [...] It's not about using your imagination any more, it's about copying Siouxsie & the Banshees and Joy Division and fitting into that box. The music industry's broke and they only do things that fit into a pigeonhole. A kid starts a band and asks themselves what era they need to rip off. It's just a form of taxidermy."

Gareth Liddiard in 2016[1]

According to Liddiard: "It's a pretty weird record and you can dance to it...We're sick of being a bunch of drags."[4] The album was described in its press release as "a bad trip you can dance to".[10]

Critics have described the album as "menacing",[4] "ominous"[18] and "visceral".[5] Mischa Pearlman of Record Collector considers it to be "weirder and more twisted than anything they’ve released before."[19] Joe Whyte of Louder Than War noted the incorporation of "krautrock and even funk into the drums and bass although it’s no less unnerving than some of their earlier blizzards of guitar noise."[19] Many critics noted the reduced presence of guitars on the album, with The Guardian writing: "The emphasis is mostly on bass and percussion: guitars are heavily treated; frequently, you’d be forgiven for thinking there are no guitars at all."[4][10] The "greater variation and eclecticism" in the band's use of Fiona Kitschin's backing vocals (more prominently present on this album) have earned comparisons to that of CocoRosie.[20] The music overall has earned comparisons to older Australian post-punk bands such as Pel Mel, Sardine v and Laughing Clowns,[4][10] while Mojo likened it to a "Gibby Haynes-fronted Bongwater."[21]

Songs

The opener "Private Execution" "starts with a familiar cacophony of guitar noise"[19] that "suggests Muse by way of King Crimson"[5] and features "guttural bass lines",[18] The song has been described as "industrial, Sigur Ros-ian post-rock",[18] and the guitars during its ending climax earned comparisons to the "Sicilian strings" from The Godfather soundtrack.[10] Its lyrics explore several themes, including violence in relation to human history, and references the Bali Nine.[22] The following track "Taman Shud" (released as a single) mentions the infamous, unsolved 1948 murder case of the same name, and has been described as "at once a glorious celebration of the best qualities of Australiana and a vitriolic riposte to all that’s ill in the lucky country"[23] Liddiard has described the song as a "big piss off [to those who] try to lay down the rules and the terms, tell you what you have to do to be Australian".[23] The music has been described as "arrythmic", "stark", "jagged"[10] and "simmer(ing) with atonal uneasiness".[5] The lyrics to "Then They Came For Me" references the poem "First they came..." by Martin Niemöller[24] and deals with the subject of immigration from the point of view of a refugee[4] whilst the music has been described as "idiosyncratic"[19] and "anti-anthemic".[5] The song's "high-pitched, airy whistle" effect - mimicking the Jericho trumpets mentioned in its lyrics - was created entirely on guitar.[14] "To Think That I Once Loved You" is "an achingly sad ballad that skilfully treads the line between gentle and unnerving without a misstep"[18] that has been musically described as "icy, downtempo electronica".[5]

The "claustrophobic"[25] track "Tailwind" features "Reflektor-style minimal electronics"[18] with lyrics that deal with obsolescence and irrelevance.[26] Similar to "Then They Came For Me", the song's "singing saw sound" was created on guitar.[14] "Boredom" has been described as being hip hop-influenced[18][25] with lyrics that "(name-drop) welfare states and Islamic caliphates, prophecising the imminent death of the 'cradle of civilisation' – the Middle East" as well as "describing the drivers of young people joining terrorist organisations, specifically IS" from the perspective of a Muslim teenager living in the Western Suburbs (according to The Monthly, the track is "partly told from the viewpoint of Jake Bilardi [...]"[27]).[28] The chorus on the track has been noted for being similar to "Boredom" by Buzzcocks.[10] The song "Sometimes", featuring lead vocals from Fiona Kitschin, has been described as the band's "hypothetical missing link between Massive Attack and FKA Twigs",[25] with lyrics that critique modern consumer culture.[29] The closing track "Shut Down SETI" refers to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and lyrically explores "human savagery from the perspective of an extra terrestrial outsider"[18] as well as motivations of vanity and pride in the guise of "scientific curiosity" which is often used to justify such research.[30] It has been musically described as ""Taman Shud"'s angrier, drunker older brother", with Liddiard and Kitschin's vocals contrasting to create a "two-pronged environment" that culminates in a "finale overture, as though drawing elements from every single prior track on the album."[31] Allmusic noted that the track, "with its surrealistic ranting, sudden stylistic shifts, and white squalls of dissonance, wouldn't have sounded out of place on David Bowie's Blackstar."[5] OndaRock, on the other hand, compared the track to Tom Waits.[25]

Release

The album was released on 18 March 2016 through Tropical Fuck Storm Records.[5] Videos for the tracks "Taman Shud", "Boredom" and "To Think That I Once Loved You" were made available on YouTube.

Artwork

The original unsolved Tamam Shud code.

The cover features the unsolved code from the Tamam Shud case.[32] It was "found written on a scrap of paper – which was ripped from a book found in a random man’s car footwell – which ended up in the pocket of an unidentified corpse on Somerton beach in Adelaide in 1948."[33] Of the incident, Liddiard said: "It’s well known, [...] Everyone in America knows about the whole fucking thing, but no one in Australia is interested in anything Australia".[33]

Controversy

The single "Taman Shud" - the video for which was released in October 2015 - caused controversy for referencing Andrew Bolt in its lyric "I don’t care about no Andrew Bolt",[34] who later responded by writing that "(the band was) stamping on the ashes of the west’s musical traditions" and that this is proof he was "offending exactly the right kind of people."[35][36] In response, Liddiard said:

For him it’s a pose: trashing inner-city lefties indie rock band, saying they’re fucked. He’s keeping up appearances for his fans. Trashing us was a really cynical move. Good on him. Thanks for that Andrew![37]

Reception

Critical

The Drones performing in 2016
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AOTY80/100[42]
Metacritic71/100[41]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Drowned in Sound8/10[18]
The Guardian[4]
Louder Than War9/10[10]
Mojo[21]
OndaRock7/10[25]
Ox-Fanzine[40]
Q[38]
Record Collector[19]
Uncut7/10[39]

The album received a Metacritic score of 71 based on 7 reviews, implying a "generally favorable" critical reception.[41]

Drowned in Sound called it "the best apocalypse soundtrack you’ll ever hear",[18] while The Guardian called it "a menacing, avant-garde interrogation of Australia", going on to write that "sounds like the work of a less dour and far more subversive band."[4] Louder Than War called it "a masterclass in genre-defying rock" in which "no prisoners are taken".[10] According to Record Collector, the album "covers so much ground – musically, thematically, philosophically, politically – that it’s like a lifetime of experiences swirling inside your head simultaneously" calling it "important" in "a modern world ever more tailored to undemanding audiences and reduced attention spans".[19]

Allmusic was more reserved in its praise, writing that "(it's) certainly not an upbeat listen, nor are its myriad regional allusions easy to parse for non-Australians", despite calling it engaging "on a cerebral level that (is) consistently intoxicating, even at its most lethal."[5] Q gave a more mixed review, calling the album "a mess, but [...] never less than an absorbing one."[38]

Many sources have since recognized the album's sound as a precursor to Liddiard's and Kitschin's work in Tropical Fuck Storm.[43][44][45]

Accolades

In addition to the ones listed below, comedians Tom Ballard and James Acaster included Feelin Kinda Free among their favourite albums of 2016.[46][47]

Publication Country Work Accolade Year Rank
Double J Australia Feelin Kinda Free 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016 3[48]
Herald Sun Australia Feelin Kinda Free Rock City: The best 16 of '16 2016 3[49]
FasterLouder Australia Feelin Kinda Free 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016 7[50]
Gigwise U.K. Feelin Kinda Free 51 Best Albums of 2016 2016 10[51]
Mondosonoro Spain Feelin Kinda Free Top International Albums of 2016 2016 10[52]
Rockdelux Spain Feelin Kinda Free Top International Albums of 2016 2016 29[53]
The Guardian U.K. "Taman Shud" Briggs, Camp Cope, the Drones: here are all the great Aussie protest songs 2018 -[54]
Junkee Australia Feelin Kinda Free The 50 Best Australian Albums of the Decade 2019 -[55]

Covers & remixes

The song "Taman Shud" was covered by Laura Jean both live and as a demo, the latter of which appeared on 2017's Thirty Days of Yes mixtape (featuring music from artists championing LGBT marriage equality in Australia).[56][57]

On 16 March 2018, Boredom Remixes - a 12" EP featuring 4 remixes of the track "Boredom" from Kim Moyes (as K.I.M. and Zero Percent) - was released by his label Here To Hell Records (making it the label's first release).[58][59] The EP was also made available on Bandcamp.

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Drones

No.TitleLength
1."Private Execution"7:11
2."Taman Shud"3:27
3."Then They Came for Me"4:18
4."To Think That I Once Loved You"6:14
5."Tailwind"5:32
6."Boredom"3:23
7."Sometimes"3:56
8."Shut Down SETI"6:01
Total length:40:02

Personnel

Band

Additional Credits

Adapted from liner notes:[2]

  • Backing Vocals – Amanda Roff (track: 4), Erica Dunn (tracks: 3, 4), Laura Jean (track: 4), Quinn Veldhuis (track: 4)
  • Guitar – Dan Kelly (track: 5)
  • Layout – Amy Burrows
  • Mastered By – John Davis (track: 4)
  • Mixed By – Aaron Cupples, Dan Luscombe
  • Recorded By, Mixed By – Gareth Liddiard
  • Recorded By – Aaron Cupples (tracks: 1–3, 5–7, 8), Dan Luscombe (tracks: 4, 7)

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[60] 12
Independent Label Albums[61] 1

References

  1. ^ a b c d Mathieson, Craig (5 May 2016). "The Drones move on from rock to fill the void on their new album Feelin Kinda Free". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b Album liner notes
  3. ^ "Album of the week: Feelin Kinda Free". Triple R. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Stafford, Andrew (17 March 2016). "The Drones: Feelin Kinda Free review – a menacing, avant-garde interrogation of Australia". The Guardian.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Feelin Kinda Free - The Drones - Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic.
  6. ^ a b Riley Findley (2 May 2016). "Review: Genre-spanning dissonance and electronic mayhem captured in 2016 record". The Lambert Post. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  7. ^ Nick Hartman (10 March 2016). "What is the real Australia? The Drones tear the myth apart on Feelin Kinda Free". Happy Mag. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  8. ^ Dylan Yadav (2 April 2016). "The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free". Immortal Reviews. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  9. ^ James Dawson (14 March 2016). "The Drones 'Feelin Kinda Free' - Album Review". GIGsoup. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Drones: Feelin Kinda Free - album review". Louder Than War. 5 March 2016.
  11. ^ Hung, Steffen. "australian-charts.com - The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free". australian-charts.com.
  12. ^ "Gareth Liddiard: aliens, rap and weirdness". 16 May 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Interview: The Drones on Confrontational New Album 'Feelin Kinda Free' & What Taylor And Kanye Are Doing Wrong". Music Feeds. 26 April 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d Zoë Radas (1 March 2016). "Interview: Gareth Liddiard, The Drones". Stack. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  15. ^ "The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free". Aaron Cupples.
  16. ^ "About -". Aaron Cupples.
  17. ^ David Couri (18 March 2016). "Why The Drones Are The Most Relevant & Important Group in Australia Right Now". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Album Review: The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free". Drowned in Sound.
  19. ^ a b c d e f "Feelin' Kind of Free - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector.
  20. ^ "The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free". UnderTheRadarNZ.
  21. ^ a b Mojo magazine May 2016, p.96
  22. ^ "The Drones – Private Execution". Genius.
  23. ^ a b Hazel, Andy (26 January 2016). "From Slim Dusty to the Drones: around Australia in 12 classic songs". The Guardian.
  24. ^ "The Drones – Then They Came For Me". Genius.
  25. ^ a b c d e Claudio Lancia (10 August 2016). "Drones - Feelin Kinda Free". OndaRock. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  26. ^ "The Drones – Tailwind". Genius.
  27. ^ Crawford, Anwen (1 April 2016). "Australian ugliness". The Monthly.
  28. ^ "The Drones – Boredom". Genius.
  29. ^ "The Drones – Sometimes". Genius.
  30. ^ "The Drones – Shut Down SETI". Genius.
  31. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: The Drones "Feelin Kinda Free" • Howl & Echoes". 18 March 2016.
  32. ^ "Album Review: The Drones - Feelin' Kinda Free (2016 LP)". 26 April 2016.
  33. ^ a b "Interview: Gareth Liddiard, The Drones". 1 March 2016.
  34. ^ "The Drones – Taman Shud". Genius.
  35. ^ "Andrew Bolt Says The Drones' New Single Proves He's "Offending The Right People"". Music Feeds. 14 October 2015.
  36. ^ "Andrew Bolt Really Really Doesn't Like The Drones' Latest Single". 14 October 2015.
  37. ^ Tan, Monica (23 October 2015). "Gareth Liddiard of the Drones: 'It's time leftwingers grew some balls'". The Guardian.
  38. ^ a b Q Magazine [May 2016, p.107]
  39. ^ Uncut Magazine May 2016, page 73
  40. ^ "CDs / LPs / Singles - Reviews DRONES Feelin Kinda Free". Ox-Fanzine.
  41. ^ a b "Feelin Kinda Free by The Drones". Metacritic.
  42. ^ "The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free". AOTY.
  43. ^ "The 25 Most Underrated Albums of the Decade". Junkee. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  44. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Tropical Fuck Storm – A Laughing Death in Meat Space". Doubtful Sounds. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  45. ^ "REVIEW: Tropical F--k Storm - A Laughing Death in Meatspace - 3.5 stars". Newcastle Herald. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  46. ^ "The best albums of 2016?". The Examiner. 1 January 2017.
  47. ^ "my music". James Acaster Official Website. Retrieved 26 June 2020. Subversive rock with a singer who sounds tall but I'm not sure.
  48. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2016". Double J. 7 December 2016.
  49. ^ "Rock City: The best 16 of '16, The Avalanches, Olympia, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, D.D Dumbo, Julia Jacklin, Emma Russack, A.B Original". Herald Sun. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2020. Feelin' Kinda Free was the album where they went off course and found new galaxies to orbit.
  50. ^ "FasterLouder's 50 Best Albums of 2016". AOTY.
  51. ^ "Gigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2016". Gigwise.
  52. ^ "Los mejores discos internacionales de 2016". Mondosonoro. 30 November 2016.
  53. ^ "Rocklist.net....Rock De Lux Lists..." Rocklist.
  54. ^ "Briggs, Camp Cope, the Drones: here are all the great Aussie protest songs". The Guardian.
  55. ^ "The 50 Best Australian Albums of the Decade". Junkee.
  56. ^ "Twerps, Cub Sport, Courtney Barnett & More Stand For SSM With Month-Long Mixtape Project". The Music. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  57. ^ "Laura Jean". Facebook.
  58. ^ "THE DRONES - BOREDOM REMIXES". Monster Robot Party. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  59. ^ "THE DRONES : Boredom Remixes - 12" - HERE TO HELL". Forced Exposure. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  60. ^ "australian-charts.com - Discography The Drones". australian-charts.com.
  61. ^ "The Drones Claim Top Spot on Independent Album Chart". The Music.

Further reading

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