The Nudie Suits – Songbook (2003 Lil’ Chief Records)
Writer: Chris Knox
Publication: Real Groove Magazine
Date: November 2003
Now this is danged refreshing. Some very late 20th Century Auckland music that could’ve been made in any decade post-WW1. Well, no, that’s bullshit, it could only have been made very recently but it is in mono and takes its basic musical shape from American folk and country of the early electric recording era.SONGBOOK is spliced in with LOADED-era Velvets rhythms, some David Pine meets Bob Cardy vocals and a decent man-sized helping of the Grateful Dead, to make something of tremendous charm and enormous vitality. It’s all made possible by those lovely folks down at Lil’ Chief, but the 1999-2000 recording predates the output of both of their other bands… ohhh, look, I’m listening to this thing as I type and have gotta say that the low-down bv’s on “Holy Ghost (In Back of You)” are the most gorgeous stacked voices I’ve heard since some half-forgotten Incredible String Band album of the 60s – and that’s high praise indeed round these parts! Where was I? Yeah, this is so comfortably part of the Brunettes/Tokey Tones world but is utterly different from either, totally its own beast. Constantly interesting arrangements around a nucleus of Mark Lyon’s askew vocals and guitar (etc) and the untutored, unprejudiced steel guitar of the obviously slightly demented Dionne Taylor. Her sister, Tam, a later addition on violin, is not as obviously evident in these recordings but makes her presence felt more as the record progresses. I wanna see these guys now! Never saw any of their numerous gigs while they were always playing in my backyard, and now they’re in bloody Melbourne! I woulda loved them! Why didn’t someone tell me?! Well, thanks to you wee chiefs for airing these primitively gorgeous nuggets of low-fat country goodness. In terms of trusting a label’s taste, it’s sorta like the early 80s Nun thing over again…