THE WOODS THEMSELVES

The first thing I did after interviewing Davey Cotsios was go to my tutorial.

The second thing I did was research the band Midget.

“The world has not needed Midget as much as they do now,” claims Cotsios, explaining that his fellow Sydney collective are the perfect antithesis to the acoustic “Telstra ad bands” (his words, not mine) who have overwhelmed the Australian music scene.

“It’s not a good sign if your parents are always turning up to your shows,” he follows. An interesting measure of a band’s relevance and vitality – and also a thought that apparently feeds into his approach to the stage.

Not that The Woods Themselves are without their gentler side. On their sophomore album, (C’Mon) Do The Beach Thing, the Sydney six piece display an equally impressive aptitude for quieter songs as they do for louder, looser indulgences. If anything, the album more prominently showcases careful production and delicate arrangements than any Boris-like excursions into feedback – but I guess that’s where the live stage compensates. The Band and Neil Young are self-observed points of reference that haunt the final product, which plays like atmospheric classic rock that comprises the full spectrum from sunshine pop to darker but no less catchy digressions.

Just don’t expect to hear your favourite ballads on stage.

“It’s a show… you should bring the ruckus. If people like the quieter acoustic stuff it’s all there on the album.”

With a live band that’s boasts two keyboardists, three guitarists, and a rhythm section, it’s easy to imagine the sonic assault that The Woods Themselves can deliver. Recounting a particularly brutal performance earlier in the year, Cotsios reminisces: “We opened with four minutes of sonic stuff to suck on. It’s good man, you just clear the rats out of the boat.” The rats, in this instance, included a “dinosaur” of Sydney music journalism and a Sony-BMG executive – who, I’m informed with an air of satisfaction, made an early departure.

And all this from the band that recorded 3’s – a wistful ode to a trifecta of good fortune that features early in the track list. Therein lies the truth of the matter – behind Cotsios’s mission to overthrow the Australian folk-revival is an album more contemplative and constructed than his musings might suggest. Though all the songs were written and recorded within a single day, at no point does this immediacy diminish the depth of song writing and production.

“We have nothing to prove to ourselves,” summarises Cotsios of their approach in the studio.

Emerging after a turbulent four-year break, the album is the product of recording and beach going during a retreat to the South Coast. Though they came close to the Big Pink experience of their heroes, the predilection for alcoholic indulgence during this period of cohabitation did prove an obstacle to the recording project.

Not that they aren’t aiming to do it again next time. And with results like this album, I wouldn’t advocate change either.

(C’MON) DO THE BEACH THING is out now through Understandation/Inertia. www.thewoodsthemselves.com

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