Kellie Lloyd – Fragile States

Kellie Lloyd – Fragile States

Fragfile States

Self Released August 1, 2017 

The first new solo material from Kellie since her acclaimed second album Magnetic North, released in 2012, and collects material drawn from several different recording sessions between 2013–2015.

Mastered by Donnie Miller at Nowhere Audio 2017
Cover Art: Original paintings by Morgan Allender. Reproduced with permission. Morganallendger.com
Layout by Tim Steward.
Scene of the Crime previously released on Mere Noise Singles Club 2013
Paradigms previously released on Tym Records Singles Club 2013

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Kellie Lloyd – Fragile States

$15.00

Kellie’s 6 track EP, released August 1, 2017

Digipack version.

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The six songs reflect the variety of circumstances in which they were recorded, with the first three songs based on guitar and the others, including the eight-minute “Tunnel Music”, on piano.

Lloyd describes Fragile States as “basically a collection of things recorded over the last couple of years that were never really going to be anything, until they came together.

“They were just random recording sessions. They all had a purpose, but there was never a thread.” until now.

The results are a warm and beautiful collection of songs, by turns eerie, meditative and moody, which fans of Screamfeeder and Big Star’s 3rd alike should love. Andrew Stafford

WE ALL WANT TO – Back To The Car

WE ALL WANT TO – Back To The Car

WE ALL WANT TO

LTID095 // 1 JUNE 2009

Our first release as the band, featuring Todd Hutchinson on guitar and Paul Daly on bass (and singing, he wrote Two Way).

We recorded this at The Shed with Darek Mudge at the controls. Back to the Car is a song originally written by Tim and Kellie Lloyd.

This was released on Melbourne’s Low Transit Industries.

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WE ALL WANT TO – Back To The Car

$5.00

LTID095 // 1 JUNE 2009
4 song EP, Japanese slipcase version.

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WE ALL WANT TO – Sally Can’t See

WE ALL WANT TO – Sally Can’t See

April 2013. Limited edition US only promo EP

We put this together as a vehicle for promoting NO SIGNS in America, and it ended up a bit long. Oops. It features tracks from our debut album, and a couple from the NO SIGNS EP. It also features something you haven’t heard before: A version of Tim’s NOT THE SAME with additional vocals by Skye.

 

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Review

Really, I had no idea what to expect.

Hanging out in Brisbane, Australia before a good friend’s wedding, we were invited to a show by local indie rockers, We All Want To.  Now, Joe, who invited us, has great musical taste, and I have full faith in his management company (Alien Lane) that also represents Ripple favorites, Grand Atlantic — but this wasn’t a typical show.  This performance, called “Take the Lead” and performed at the Judith Wright Performance Center (not a grimy, beer-splattered pub), found a sold-out theater celebrating with the band the release of their latest album, Come Up Invisible.  But here’s the twist; joining the band on each of the 18 songs was a guest vocalist from somewhere within the pantheon of the Indy Aussie rock scene; reinterpreting the songs or re-imagining them in one form or another.

So let me get this straight.  We’re going to see a show from a band we don’t know, where each song is sung by a guest singer we don’t know, re-interpreting songs we don’t know.

Really, I had no idea what to expect.

Nor, could I ever have imagined what I received.  Playing their hearts out before an adoring audience, We All Want To delivered a rousing, sometimes gentle, sometimes pummeling, performance of mood and atmosphere, melody and craft. It was a stunning triumph for the music and an ordained testament to the strength of the musicians and the songs.  Joining band members, Tim Steward, Skye Staniford, Dan McNaulty, Melissa Fraser and Darek Mudge (plus guest keyboardist Morgan Hahn from Grand Atlantic on the Wurlitzer) were an array of diverse singers such as Danny Widdicombe (The Wilson Pickers), Sue Ray, Jeremy Neale (Velociraptor) Dom Miller (The Rocketsmiths), Chris Dale, and Seja Vogel (Regurgitator), amongst others.  Some of the performances were charmingly sloppy, some exhilarating, some riveting (such as spoken word poet Ghostboy’s beatnik rendition of “Ramp Up the Bleeding”) and some simply brilliant and moving – most notably Helen Franzmann’s haunting performance of “Japan.”

Never having heard any of these songs before, I was entranced. Tim Steward created a gravitational field of charisma around him, strumming with abandon and passion; a being in perpetual motion. Skye’s vocals lilted in from some celestial heaven as the perfect compliment while Melissa, either lending her voice or swaying on the bass, was simply captivating. Darek filled the space with tasty fills and bending leads while Dan triumphed behind the skins, most notably when he performed the entirety of “Japan” with mallets on the snare and floor tom.  As the show roared to a conclusion behind the rousing, full-ensemble encore of “Streets of Your Town,” by the legendary Brisbane band The Go-Betweens, I was standing in full-appreciative amazement with the rest of the crowd – enthralled by the performers, enraptured by the band, cocooned in their warmth, in love with the songs.

But one nagging question remained.  How could an indie band, with only a couple of albums to their credit, pull off such a show?  How do 18 “guest-vocalists” simply find time in their hectic lives, sacrificing a Friday night, to lend their talents to re-interpreting songs that couldn’t yet be considered classics?  That seemed like an honor reserved for the Kinks or Stones or at the very least Aussie legends like The Church or the fore-mentioned Go-Betweens.  At the after party in the pub up the street, I asked that question to many, and the answer was simple and unanimous.

Tim Steward.

Having previously led the underground, post-grunge punk rockers, Screamfeeder, Tim is adored in the Brisbane music scene.   And his songwriting is so respected, that all he had to do was place a few phone calls and the response from his fellow Aussie musicians was emphatic. They jumped at the chance to sing his songs. As Morgan Hahn put it after the show, “The songs seem so simple, then as you get into them you really realize the genius of the craft.”  Having heard them performed in this manner, I can attest to that

All of which brings us to “Sally Can’t See,” the debut American release from We All Want To, a rapturous slice of indie rock.  Although, it’s a lazy comparison, the closest band I can compare We All Want To, is Brisbane’s own, The Go-Betweens. They both ply a quasi-acoustic vibe and relaxed song-writing and harmonies of male and female vocals.  But they’re The Go-Betweens with an edge. Perhaps this comes from Tim’s work with Screamfeeder, but We All Want To isn’t afraid to mess things up. Spontaneity and unpredictability always lie underneath the surface, never tilting its hand as to when a song may erupt into a cacophony of dissonance or punky aggression.  Beautiful melodies aren’t afraid to crash into walls of sound. And it all works.

Comprised of songs from the band’s prior Australian releases, the album is nearly a greatest hits introduction.  “Back to the Car,” is one standout track with its light-floating harmonies and melody. Tim’s vocal style and phrasing here remind me of fellow Australian, Paul Kelly, and when Skye joins in, their voices blend perfectly, lifting the song to the addictive.  And then there’s the still hauntingly beautiful, “Japan.”  Against a seemingly simple lyric, Tim reveals a song of love and comfort as he calms the fears of a loved one about his leaving for another tour.  Amidst a gorgeous refrain, he sings of his impending return home.  How the the stamps in his passport show “as many come backs as going aways.”  A moment of love so simply and effectively captured.

Already racing up the indie charts in the US, Sally Can’t See is a perfect a welcome hello to a band already adored in their hometown, and soon, no doubt, to be adored everywhere.   Keep your eyes and ears open for them, they’ll definitely be a band to watch.
Ripple Effect

WE ALL WANT TO – No Signs

WE ALL WANT TO – No Signs

WE ALL WANT TO No Signs

P1-47 / April 5th 2013

The record is a turning point for the band, as it features a couple of songs with the old Josh / Ben line up, as well as newer recordings with the Darek / Mel line up.

We recorded and mixed it at The Shed, with Darek at the controls.

Cover star is Juma Jackson, and we were joined on keyboards by Morgan Hann of Grand Atlantic.

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IT’S too late to stop now: just a few months after delivering blazing album Come Up Invisible, Tim Steward and friends in Brisbane band We All Want To are showing no signs of hiding or running out of steam with this equally high-grade eight-track selection. ..Steward’s razor-sharp rock ‘n’ roll philosophy ..the frankly jaw- dropping Mindless Damage, a power-pop tune complete with Townshendian-chord flourishes and a lyric to break your heart. Also ace: an acoustic version of Ramp Up the Bleeding, minus the volume but not the power. Courier Mail

Coming a mere seven months after their sophomore long player, this eight-track E.P. is the sassy sidekick to 2012’s outstanding Come Up Invisible and perfectly encapsulates the fervour and spirit within this collective. Led by indie stalwart Tim Steward (Screamfeeder) and co-vocalist Skye Staniford, We All Want To have presented No Signs as a transitional piece of work that showcases the best of an evolving band lineup. Reverbstreetpress.com

“Ramp Up The Bleeding” as a rock song is beautiful but in this minimal acoustic version the ache of the lyrics is amplified. I almost prefer this laid back version of the song and I want to hear Tim Steward croon more like this. No Signs is a vital companion to “Come Up Invisible”, you need to own this if you loved what We All Want To did on the album. It leaves me wondering what the band will do next. After hearing the amazing acoustic version of “Ramp Up The Bleeding” I’m left feeling that I’d love to hear more of that, but that is the beautiful thing about a band like We All Want To, they can do whatever the fuck they want because they are such accomplished songwriters. The future is a beautiful one for We All Want To and I look forward to hearing what happens with album number three. Heavy and Weird