The Grief of Oh Mercy

For most young people your maiden voyage overseas will usually comprise of an almost continuous party with friends you’ve made at hostels, punctuated by some photos in front of famous landmarks. While Alexander Gow did get to enjoy himself while he was in the States last year, there was always a bigger plan at work for the Oh Mercy front man. The ever-fickle album number two.

Starting out at the musical Mecca that is South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Gow’s first trip out of Australia had the primary goal of getting Oh Mercy’s sophomore release Great Barrier Grief in the can. No easy task, especially considering that the band’s debut Privileged Woes was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2009, earning the band plaudits from people in some very high places.

“I assume it’s pretty natural for people to be conscious of past success when writing new material,” concedes Gow. “I was conscious of it, but I didn’t let it weigh down on me so I tried more to look at the positive that with all the hard work we did with Privileged Woes, it’s given us a platform. While I was writing these new songs I was thinking that these new ones had this great platform which I’ve worked hard to gain.”

It seems Gow preferred the pressure of writing album number two. Putting an album together knowing that people were going to hear it was a welcome contrast to the work that went into Privileged Woes.

“I can’t really describe the feeling of writing that first record when you’re in a kind of limbo. We were working so hard on these songs and not even knowing if anyone would listen to them. It’s a really strange headspace.”

So it was with a clear mind that Gow went north from Texas to a room in Brooklyn, which he would call home for the next six weeks. Writing, refining and demoing songs for Great Barrier Grief, an album title that apparently came before any other ideas for the album had even been conceived.

“Great Barrier Grief has been floating around in my notebooks for a while. I always knew it was going to make a good title for an album I just needed to write the album. You can kind of think of this record as an excuse to use the title,” laughs Gow.

From Brooklyn, Gow took the frameworks of what was to be Great Barrier Grief to L.A. and legendary producer Mitchell Froom, a man who’s producing CV boasts names such as Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney and Pearl Jam, as well as a little band called Crowded House, who’s first three albums were produced by Froom.

“It was a thrill to work with Mitchell. I grew up listening to Crowded House and admiring them and admiring his work on their records so it was a great opportunity. I consider myself pretty lucky.”

Anyone who talks to Gow will realise just how committed he is to his music. Talking to him about Great Barrier Grief reveals an understated passion for the songs he crafts, so it comes as no surprise that while he was honoured to be working with a producer of Froom’s calibre, in no way was Gow daunted by the idea.

“Mitchell is an incredibly lovely, lovely guy. There was never a point where I felt intimidated by him and I’ve kind of got very specific ideas about what I like and dislike about music so I never had a problem putting my foot down about decisions, although I never really had to with Mitchell,” admits Gow. “We saw eye to eye on most things.”

“There was never much conjecture anyway, but when there was I never had a problem with voicing it, I mean I’ve never had a problem voicing what I think,” laughs Gow. “I may never have been good at kicking the football but I’ve never had a problem putting my foot down.”

Great Barrier Grief will inevitably bolster what started with Privileged Woes, Oh Mercy are arguably this country’s best contemporary songwriters. The lyrics that Gow produces have rightfully earned him and the band’s numerous comparisons to this country’s song writing legends and Great Barrier Grief will see his stocks soar again. The album is beautifully understated; the minimal style of instrumentation allows each song to be carried by some truly wonderful lyrics.

With Great Barrier Grief completed, Gow had one day left in L.A. when he received a phone call asking if he could offer a song for the He Will Have His Own Way compilation.

“We spent the last day rearranging, mixing and recording I Feel Possessed. It was a really fun day and I’m so glad we got the call to do it. It’s the full circle, you know? Working with Mitchell on a song that was written by a band that I’ve loved for such a long time and Mitchell produced and played the keys on the original and here he was producing and playing the keyboard on my cover of it. It was a real thrill. It’s one of those moments I won’t forget.”

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