Charles Du Cane - Port and Rail (Album)
Just as you catch yourself saying “wow they don't make music like that anymore” - well he does! Charles Du Cane, although a borrowed name, delivers an indie-pop innovation in his latest album Port and Rail. He has his tongue planted firmly in cheek at all times and his musical creations are therefore pure fun. He has a deep affinity for social culture and historical eccentricities that comes through in his total package. His prose is witty and unabashed, but so subtle there are no overt messages and that's how we like it.
Politically poignant and rustically brilliant, this eclectic fellow has made a pre-emptive push on the experimental indie movement for the coming decade. In this age, the bold cutting-edge musician who speaks his mind freely faces little fear of assassination, their main threat is being submersed in the massive wave of commercial music - this album is a gasp of fresh air for those at risk of drowning.
Fred Showell, an Australian songwriter and producer and left-of-mainstream charismatic musician who hails from the backwaters of North Tasmania, borrowed the name Charles Du Cane - more of a persona than a stage name – from a conservative British politician who became 3rd Governor of Tasmania. This subtle sarcasm is the tip of the Charles Du Cane iceberg, his music is a brash biography of life and experience set to his own trademark electro pop vibes bleeding with a dirty mix of garage rock, retro and blues.
Charles Du Cane has a diverse recording history under his belt and has upheld his reputation in Port and Rail to spark new independent musical thought. His third full-length album walks the knife edge between art and war, with a collection of subtle protests and poetic prose. It's a very tight package, with a lot of style thrown in, and a signature sound that deserves not to be unpacked.
Port and Rail is cleverly catchy with pounding pop beats, and its intriguing lyrical storylines inspire a cultish fascination for his music. Although experimental by nature, the album he delivers is carefully arranged and masterfully produced to set this spectrum of sound into a pure clarity recording. Charles Du Cane has meticulously developed his own personal style over many years and continues to share his love for living on the musical edge with us and it's worth the ride.
