- By definition, there are a lot of new releases reviewed around here - so many that it can be hard for one to really stand out from the crowd. But this next release is one that I reckon is something so special that in decades to come it may well be recognised as an iconic Australian album. It is both brand-spanking new, and also four decades old. A new musical combination with a familiar voice reviving, refreshing and revealing a sound whose power has managed to be maintained, literally, across centuries.
The album is called The Church of Simultaneous Existence. And the band is called The Aints. The songs are written and sung by Ed Kuepper, the highly prolific solo performer who has also released many highly influential, timeless tunes with bands such as The Saints, The Laughing Clowns and in the early 1990s, a band called … The Aints. Back then they released a few albums of loud, feedback drenched, fast paced songs and adopted the name in part to make it clear they weren’t The Saints.
These Aints ain’t those Aints though, and they ain’t quite The Saints. Along with Kuepper, the members of the modern version of the Saintly Aints include Sunnyboys bassist Peter Oxley, drummer Paul Larsen Loughhead (The Celibate Rifles / The New Christs), jazz pianist Alister Spence and brass man Eamon Dilworth. However the songs on the album are ones Kuepper wrote from the time of the original Saints. As Kuepper says: “The Church of the Simultaneous Existence (is) … songs that refused to die …. performed in much the way they would have had the (original) band not split up in 1978.”
The biggest difference of course is that the vocals are performed by Kuepper himself rather than Saints vocalist Chris Bailey. The Saints spent their formative years in Brisbane and recorded their hugely influential debut single, (I’m) Stranded, there in June 1976 before leaving soon after. After recording three albums, each of which featured a few gems that have stood the test of the time, the original line up of The Saints split. Chris Bailey kept the name, while Ed Kuepper embarked on what has turned out to be an extraordinarily prolific career. Despite the fact he has written and released an almost uncountable number of albums and songs, it is no surprise that he had plenty of others left over from all those years ago that were capable of providing a fresh new album.
The tune Goodnight Ladies is perhaps the standout track on the album for me, mostly because its length gives the chance for the twists and turns and just full-on rock-out of Kuepper at his best to get up to full throttle. Given that it's seven and half minutes long, it probably won't attract much radio play, but there's plenty of other good stuff, like the album’s opener, Red Aces, which should be an instant classic with horn driven riffs reminiscent of The Saints legendary song Know Your Product. I recommend getting this product, and getting to see The Aints perform on their upcoming national tour.
- Andrew Bartlett.