In the early 2000’s, when Richard Kingsmill used to broadcast a program on the Triple J radio station called “The J-Files”, I was listening intently.
It was a weekly ritual. One night he profiled a band called Bluebottle Kiss. Now being from perth, I was relatively unaware of them, sure they had toured Perth, but over East they were much more prominent.
I hadn’t heard much of their music, the only song I knew of there’s was “Generic Teen”, off the Somnambulist Homesick Blues EP.
Kingsmill so eloquently told the story through anecdotes and featuring many of their tracks. Being a huge fan of Sonic Youth, I took to them straight away, and the strange melancholic timbre of Jamie Hutching’s vocals, together with chaotic deconstructed guitar sounds, perfectly captured suburban unrest.
I wanted to know everything about them. I purchased the following week, their latest (at the time) release Revenge Is Slow, together with another album, the one prior to that, Patient.
As an amazing sequence of indie-rock, I marveled at it’s beauty, it’s abrasiveness, it’s remoteness and it’s musicality. Bluebottle evoked a feeling of orchestrated destruction, taking something otherwise conventional and then slowly unravelling to reveal at it’s core, total discourse.
Return To the City Of Folded Arms. The opening track is amazing, the first time I heard it, in 2003, was a revelation. And then, at the time of writing, 2017, I revisited this song and remember visiting my home-town after a long abscence. I wasn’t returning to folded arms, but the song did remind me of home.
The music feels like suburban Australia. The cover photos surely evoke it too. A rich tapestry of adolescent confusion and existentialism, woven into great lyrical and musical beauty.
Smother It In Honey, again continues on these themes of adolescence, at least to me anyway. The lyrics seem to me to be about never being enough, never feeling self content, trying to sugar-coat every part of your life, and not letting it be, what it is.
Girl Genius, the most gorgeous on this album, about unfulfilled potential. The feeling of abandonment, the yearning of attention, it’s brooding acoustic guitars complement Jamie’s amazing vocals.
The centrepiece of the album Homeless Blueless, had a lasting impact on me, still does.
Returning slightly to themes of hometown disillusionment, being stuck in purgatory in a place, where familiarity breeds content. The feeling of being trapped. The final refrain "because I’m not leavin’ town… I’m never leaving town…”. The soloing guitars blase into the stratosphere as the track comes to a climaxtic finish.. And we’re only at track 4!
Running Around The White Picket Fence, with urgent fiery meta style lyricism, that evokes feelings, and never truly reveals itself in a coherent manner. Nevertheless, it churns on, all the pent up energy within the band explodes onto the master tape, and makes an imprint on your nervous system, in a good way.
It what seems like a melodic victory lap, Give Up The Ghost, could of finished this set off, and become the greatest ever EP released by an Australian band. But they weren’t done with yet. Probably the most jovial song on the album, yet still exhibiting themes of disconnect, the most upbeat song arguable on Patient.
Maps to Help You Lose Your Way. I think of The Drones (whom I have reviewed on this site), whenever I listen to this. A slow burning suburban story-song, which dissents into chaotic noise. Although I have no evidence of this, surely Bluebottle Kiss where an influence on The Drones’ output.
To finish off Patient, Paddock Blues, a reverb-laden song of somberness, drenched in pity and reminding me a bit of Neil Young’s Hey Hey, My My. It’s a perfect ending.
When Bluebottle Kiss toured for their album Doubt Seeds in 2006, I went and saw them in Fremantle. They shortly dissolved the band after that. That would be the only time I get to see them.
I remember briefly talking to Jamie after the show, giddingly exclaiming, “Patient is the greatest australian album ever”. I still believe that.
I will never overstate this. If you haven’t heard it’s right up there. I’m thinking The Triffids “Born Sandy Devotional"good. “16 Lover’s Lane” good.
This album was released on Citadel records, after what seemed like an unceremonious axing from Murmur, whom I thought had better judgement that letting a band of this calibre go, but there you have it.
Bluebottle Kiss in general, fly under the radar for various reasons. They never really toured the prominent festival circuit, they were on the fringes of alternative radio, but didn’t quite get the recognition I believe they deserved. I tell everybody about Patient. I think it’s a monumental achievement in songwriting.
A lot of what I do in my own songwriting, I owe a great debt to Jamie Hutchings.
Nowadays, Jamie Hutchings, the former Bluebottle frontman, fronts another band called Infinity Broke, I also highly recommend checking them out.
Listen to Patient, as soon as you can. It may change your life.
