AL

AL debut aLbum by gonzoid Melbourne trio Bum Creek. Live they turn every show into a triumphant, lurching mess of synth squiggles, kraut percussion, confrontational stage antics and vocal gibberish. The question, though, with this kind of performance-heavy, musically nonsensical behaviour, is always whether it can be translated into a listenable record. This has been answered by the fact that, in their own studio far from prying eyes, Bum Creek make amazing music. The largely improvised AL is sophisticated, wide-ranging and even subdued in places. The loping riff of Bollywood is as close to a pop song as the band will probably ever get, while the drifting vocal monologue of Weird Prince is alternately hilarious and haunting.?Across its six extended tracks, AL hints at the bandmembers' rich and varied musical backgrounds, which range from minimal techno prodution to free jazz. Bum Creek supported the Boredoms at the Melbourne International Arts Festival in 2010, and gave guided "Art Walks" at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of the 2009 Melbourne International Jazz Festival.