Wifey
Salt, Sugar, Fat
5 Track, EP (2009, Tenzenmen)
Play All Tracks In New Window
Related: Wifey.
It's taken a while to pen a review of this EP, but Salt, Sugar, Fat is a truly rollicking, joyous selection of music. It’s well-written and wonderfully-executed: maniacal drum-fills, strings, keys and Andy Calvert’s often frenetic vocals.
'Homing' and 'Charlie On The Beaches' could start any party, while 'Medicine' is a beautiful, grandiose ode led by Kathryn Brownhill's moaning, singing strings and Calvert's (perhaps intentionally) lazy pronunciations. Final track, ‘Diamonds In The Mine’ proves that Leonard Cohen had no excuse to be so boring, as Wifey set the perverse genius of his words to their own brilliant tune. Centred by Kirsten Morley's keys and again livened by Brownhill's violin, it’s a rocking number that rolls nicely too. Oddly enough, Cohen's lyrics seem to fit this arrangement far better than his original, in terms of both metre and personality. And yet, who'd have ever thought they'd be dancing along to the line, “Some very clever doctor went and sterilised the bitch”?
The highlight is the delightfully filthy ‘Phoenix Falling’, pertaining to the antics of the Sydney music scene’s favourite sexual deviant Matt Phoenix, who in order to wank more successfully on stage during Dos Dedos gigs (Google if you’re unenlightened) opted to take Viagra. It was apparently a total failure: “There’s a hole in the sheath where there used to a sword/There’s a Casio, where there used to be a Korg/There’s a modal tonic, where there used to be a power chord/C'mon baby, you’re not even trying!” The track also contains what could, if given enough time, become one of the most enthusiastic repeated crowd sing-a-longs independent Australian music has ever seen:
“How do you spell ‘fellatio’?
You go F-E-L-L-A-T-I-O!”
Repeat the second line seven times, and you have a winner.
There's unquestionable talent and songwriting nous at play here, but it's paired with a sense of fun and Wifey’s reticence to take themselves too seriously. They don't need to – everyone else soon will.
by A.H. Cayley
New Sydney outfit Wifey will release their debut EP — the Wayne Connol…
Oh. I'm gunna slap you next time I see you for that! Impertinence! Not a sexy slap either. Punches.
Great words tho. And a stellar EP. Can't wait for the album.
I dig this and wanna hear the rest of the tracks. Is it available via iTunes?
Just realised it has quite a few links to M&N.
Nice work Wifey/Andy D - i'll make it a point to come and see you live.
not on itunes as yet - you can just buy the cd here for $7 ppd
bump for monday
got this at the show last night and loving so far.
Great ep, has been on rotation in my car for a few months now. Just good songs, great vocals, fun without being too jokey.
I must have listened to this at least a hundred times.
Actually, way more than that.
I still haven't heard this.
Maybe because there's no torrent for it.
I wanna listen again now come to think of it. ''I get so rusty''
I came back online, soon as I could.
ok, it's settling, I'm driving home to this today.
''I don't mean shit, I don't mean nothin to nobody - I get stoned, cough up a lung.''
yes great EP. Buy it fools
Where was my hello?!
o and thanks for the nice words peoples of the internet.
probs gonna need a lyric sheet on here.
i'm sorry andy, i was having an introspective shy night and barely spoke to anyone.
in other news, i really should listen to this new brunettes album i picked up at the show as well, but every time i go to put it in the CD player, i have to take the wifey CD out, and i just end up listening to it again.
Great drunken stomp song, that
I shall get drunk and stomp at the next show, I reckon...it's been too long
We have improved since 2008 Davey, so come shake a leg.
ps: i managed to get the f-e-l-l-a-t-i-o bit stuck in my boyfriends head for hours yesterday. he got me back by singing the final countdown.
It's kinda sad that the best response to the ep is a song about Matt Phoenix's penis. Than again...
I like the antidisestablishmentarianism one
i still like 'medicine' the best on there
the penis song is just more immediately funny and catchy. the other songs are probably better, but took some repeat listens for the lyrics to take shape in my head.
agreed dub... although the first track 'homing?' comes close.