Obscure (but should not have been) Album of the Week

Underground Lovers - Get To Notice

The Underground Lovers were one of the great Australian alternative bands of the 1990s. A profoundly overlooked group even to this day, their songs have been covered by established Australian acts such as Sarah Blasko, while founding member Vince Giarrusso is also a film director (directing Mallboy in 1999).

In the early 90s they drew critical acclaim in England and beyond with their distinctive guitar drones and slightly off-kilter melodies, which drew comparisons with bands associated with the shoegaze movement doing the rounds in the British press at the time. But there was something uniquely Australian about their delivery that, much like The Go-Betweens, set them apart from their European contemporaries. Their brilliant sophomore album 'Leaves Me Blind' (1992) was released on esteemed label 4AD (imagine if Psychocandy was conceieved in suburban Melbourne and you might have some idea of what it sounds like). By the time of their third album, 'Dream it Down' (1994), they had reached a new level of sonic sophistication. In it you'll find flat-out classics such as 'Losin It' and 'Las Vegas', but you'd be hard-pressed to pick a favourite. It is probably their masterpiece and is well worth tracking down if you can find a copy.

One album by the Underground Lovers which you would struggle to find a copy of is their debut 'Get To Notice' (1991). A limited run was pressed during its release and since then no reissue has surfaced. The 'Undies (as the affectionate abbreviation for their name goes) were still finding their feet with this one. The shoestring budget production do not do the songs justice and an unfortunate Manchester "baggy" influence in tracks such as 'Sleep and 'Lick the Boot' creeps in, a style which seems at odds with the group's atmospheric, enigmatic qualities. However, the album contains a number of gems, notably 'Looking For Rain' (featuring one of their best riffs) and 'Girl Afraid', sung by the group's secret weapon Phillipa Nihill, that happens to be just as good if not better than The Smiths b-side that shares the same title. But it bears no resemblance to that song, in case you were wondering.

-AMCS