Tarcutta
You Gotta Crawl Before You Walk Before You Waltz
Hidden Shoal Recordings

Melbourne's Tarcutta did get some nice words here at the Kafé for their Demo some three years plus back. The trio are now soon ready to release their debut album, promoted by this first single with a really, really elegant title.

In fact, "You Gotta Crawl Before You Walk Before You Waltz", well, this is quite a precise description. Because the song starts to crawl, before it walks, for then to start waltzing around. It's a gliding, circling instrumental - 12 string electric guitar, organ, drums - increasing on its way from 'crawl' to 'waltz'. The Hammond organ is the driving instrument, and the song is a massive, yet light-footed piece of music. Building, climbing upwards, but not being exaggerated or overdone on its way towards a mild, controlled crescendo.

Justin Buckley (guitar), Peter Barrett (drums), and Justin Wheelahan (Hammond organ, piano) formed Tarcutta (named after Buckley's New South Wales hometown -- population 440, according to The Australian Bureau of Statistics) five years ago. "Inspired by Sonic Youth, Theodore Adorno and sporadic bushwalking..." they've found their instrumental prog-post-rock type path. "...Crawl ...Walk ..Waltz" is fine proof of more elegance and grace to come, I reckon.

"You Gotta Crawl Before You Walk Before You Waltz" is available for free download at Hidden Shoal's site until their debut album (recorded by Casey Rice, who's worked with Red Red Meat, Liz Phair, his wife Via Tania (a.k.a. Tania Bowers), Tortoise, Dirty Three, Fall Electric) is out June 23rd (mp3), and on CD few days later. Have a 6 minute gliding ride and see for yourself. Quite comforting stuff.

Copyright © 2009 Håvard Oppøyen