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An Act Of Free Choice
David Bridie has had a long and eminent musical career. From the critically
acclaimed, worldly sounds of Not Drowning Waving to My Friend
the Chocolate Cake, of which he was lead singer and songwriter, Bridie
has managed to prosper in the Australian music scene without resorting
to staid classic pub rock.
 Act
Of Free Choice is a testament to Bridie's inventiveness and perfectionism. Thanks largely to the production wizardry of UK uber-producer Ian Caple - who is best known for his work with Tricky and Tindersticks - Bridie has made an album that is evocative, atmospheric and deeply personal without being self-indulgent or alienating.
It's an appropriate title for this album. For the first time, Bridie has
had the opportunity to craft an odyssey of sound and song that is all
his own. Most of the recording and engineering was done on Bridie's home
computer in various picturesque locations in country Victoria.
Bridie has a single-mindedness, sometimes to the point of being stubborn,
that shows through on the album. Act Of Free Choice is almost cinematic
in the imagery it evokes, Bridie's experience in film soundtrack production
(his work on In A Savage Land scored him an AFI Award last year) shining
through. The album is a deeply textured, multi-layered amalgam of live
instruments, obscure samples from such unusual origins as conch shells
and poorly tuned two-way radios and beat machines.
Although not quite pure electronica, Act Of Free Choice is a courageous
departure from traditional, mainstream Australian music. It is a disc
for the other side of the party - an album for relaxing and reflecting.
Tranquil and moody, Act Of Free Choice is focussed and mature offering
from a man who knows where he's at.
There's no angst or self-pity here. It is an album from a man who has
grown up and left the drugs and groupies behind in favour of a grim acceptance
of the way things are.
Aaron Bertram
Yahoo! Music/Juice.net
Friday
5 May
For more go to www.juice.net.
http://au.music.yahoo.com/music/20000505/juicefeature/957510563-3557482539.html
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