LP Review: Cut

It’s kind of weird reviewing an album which came out 24 years ago. I remember Volt Studios, the enigmatic Brendan Hoffman, he even mastered a cassette release of mine in 1995… but I digress… one wouldn’t want to blather on about a venue and not the music; that would be amateurish…

Dunedin, 1994. The city’s in a bit of a creative lull, The Empire, and The Crown are still going strong, but DJ’s and dance music clubs are eating the city’s rock and roll heart.

Enter Bill Direen, Godfather of theatrical alternative pop. He hooks up with Alistair Galbraith (violin) and Rob Thorne (guitar), Stephen Kilroy (organ) and Kiri Winders (vocals, My Deviant Daughter), while Peter Gutteridge gave advice on how to drive items from his private collection of keyboards.

2018, and Austrian-based Zelle records has re-released this eclectic album on vinyl and digital download.

Words like unique and quirky are frequently overused, but in Bill Direen’s case, they are utterly appropriate.

There are as many ditties and sketches on Cut, as there are songs, the LP is a real snapshot in the life of one of NZ’s most under rated musicians, and unrelatedly, one of the nicest blokes.

The song Prag is one which is much more poetry to music, than song per see, which is a common feature for Direen, who’s as gifted with poetry and prose, as he is with songwriting, and all the disciplines collide on Cut.
Say, which opens up side two is a quick tempo surf psych out.

Direen has long been a showman, always vibrant, colourful and musically interesting and at times challenging.

Cut, in some ways, is his most accessible, and, conversely inaccessible album.
In the 90’s, Bill Direen was working clubs, cabarets and theatres with drummer Derek Champion when Peter Jefferies brought them to Dunedin for gigs and recordings.

Bill slept on the floor of the Volt studio, and guests dropped by to add their genre of Dunedin brilliance to the Direen/Champion grooves.

★★★★ (4 stars)

_{Review written by Darryl Baser}