Havilah (album)
Encyclopedia
Havilah is the fifth studio album
by Australia
n band The Drones
, released in September 2008 (Australia) and February 2009 (UK, USA) by ATP Recordings
. The title of the album is a biblical reference to a Shangri-La
-esque town (Havilah
) with an abundance of gold. It is also the name of a valley near where the album was recorded. The album debuted at #47 on the Australian album charts.
The album was recorded at the mud-brick home of lead singer Gareth Liddiard and his partner/band bassist Fiona Kitschin, outside Myrtleford
(at the base of Victoria’s Mount Buffalo).
To shake up his songwriting, Liddiard was reading four books at once, and using internet packages to jumble words and create unimaginable phrases – a technique similar to the labour intensive ‘cut up’ techniques employed by writer William S. Burroughs
and singer David Bowie
in the pre-web era, where they cut up words on paper and jumbled them up.
The album was produced and engineered by Burke Reid
(The Mess Hall
, Gerling
) who had to set up a mobile studio in the house, powered by a diesel engine.
The first single lifted off the album, "The Minotaur", was released as a digital single on 29 July 2008.
The album was nominated for the 2008 J Awards in the Album of the Year category.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n band The Drones
The Drones
The Drones are an Australian rock group who rose to prominence during the early 2000s. They are influenced by a variety of bands and soloists including Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, Bad Brains, Suicide, Green on Red, The Birthday Party, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and Nina Simone.- The Sound...
, released in September 2008 (Australia) and February 2009 (UK, USA) by ATP Recordings
ATP Recordings
ATP Recordings is a record label that was started in 2001 by London concert promoter Barry Hogan of Foundation/All Tomorrow's Parties. It was originally created to bring out a compilation cd after the Tortoise-curated All Tomorrow's Parties event...
. The title of the album is a biblical reference to a Shangri-La
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains...
-esque town (Havilah
Havilah
Havilah is in several books of the Bible referring to both land and people.The story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:11: "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads...
) with an abundance of gold. It is also the name of a valley near where the album was recorded. The album debuted at #47 on the Australian album charts.
The album was recorded at the mud-brick home of lead singer Gareth Liddiard and his partner/band bassist Fiona Kitschin, outside Myrtleford
Myrtleford, Victoria
Myrtleford is a town in north-east Victoria, Australia, 45 km south-east of Wangaratta and 275 km north-east of Melbourne. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and at the 2006 census the town had a population of 3,187....
(at the base of Victoria’s Mount Buffalo).
"It's like a little world unto itself in the forest. It's a beautiful place. You can't always find a good spot to record, but if you can find a house like this that's a bonus." - Liddiard
"It was a great place to write and record. We were literally in the middle of a sub-alpine forest. We had no electricity, just diesel generators. It’d be just about the only record made on a diesel budget." - Liddiard
To shake up his songwriting, Liddiard was reading four books at once, and using internet packages to jumble words and create unimaginable phrases – a technique similar to the labour intensive ‘cut up’ techniques employed by writer William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
and singer David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
in the pre-web era, where they cut up words on paper and jumbled them up.
“I made a conscious effort to put my head in the sand. “You start working, you have a coffee in the morning, and any self-doubt falls away" - Liddiard
The album was produced and engineered by Burke Reid
Burke Reid
Burke Reid is an Australian/Canadian record producer/musician who is based in Sydney, Australia and Toronto, Canada.After migrating from Canada to Australia, he became one third of the band Gerling in 1997...
(The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall are a two-piece drums and guitar combo based in Sydney, Australia specialising in "raw, edgy bluesy rock." The band consists of Jed Kurzel and Cec Condon ....
, Gerling
Gerling
Gerling were an alternative guitar and electronic act from Australia. They formed in 1993, and are based in Sydney.-History:The band formed in 1993 with the line-up of Darren Cross , Presser and Brad Herdson...
) who had to set up a mobile studio in the house, powered by a diesel engine.
The first single lifted off the album, "The Minotaur", was released as a digital single on 29 July 2008.
The album was nominated for the 2008 J Awards in the Album of the Year category.
Track listing
All songs written by Gareth Liddiard- "Nail It Down" - 6:53
- "The Minotaur" – 3:25
- "The Drifting Housewife" - 4:01
- "I Am the Supercargo" - 6:20
- "Careful as You Go" - 5:02
- "Oh My" - 4:43
- "Cold and Sober" - 5:05
- "Luck in Odd Numbers" - 8:36
- "Penumbra" - 3:53
- "Your Acting’s Like the End of the World" - 5:21