Picks: Two Steps on the Water
Picks. A segment where artists peel the curtain back a little bit on the inspiration and creative processes from their recently released music. This week: Two Steps on the Water. Eclectic and highly outspoken, Melbourne avant-garde four-piece, Two Steps on the Water, are gearing up for their second album release, ‘Sword Songs’. Tracks like A Very Hot Shower and, more recently, Hold Me, lead the album and express the group’s heavy dynamic and prowess over baroque indie music, only matched by their incredible songwriting ability. We take a page out of their book and discover some tunes Two Steps on the Water have been listening to while making the new album.
Neli Andreeva & Philip Kutev Choir – Malka Moma
This is one of my fave songs. I’ve always come back to it over the years. Neli Andreeva has got such an incredible and powerful voice and the harmonies are so interesting and beautiful.
Patti Smith – Birdland
We all love Patti and have done a cover of Pissing in a River with the band for a while. This song popped out because when I recently saw her live—I heard it in a new way and it was my favourite during that show. I really like the looseness of it in the structure of the song and in the spoken word. I think the shape and trajectory of the song is really good at echoing it’s narrative and the content.
Tilahun Gessesse – Sethéd Sekétélat
This is a great Ethiopian jazz artist I found through Little Axe Records. This song is slow and smooth punctuated with slightly out of tune piano and a meandering intricate vocal line. Really, really nice, this album. Sadly, this song, I cannot find on the internet but there are others.
Angel Olsen – Sister
This album was the only one on my phone for a long while. Angel’s song writing can be deceivingly simple and her voice is dynamic and beautiful. This song has a really satisfying climax.
Boubacar Traore – Mariama
Boubacar’s voice and guitar are very emotional, they always make my insides have a real time and yet at the same time it’s a relaxing listen. This record will remain a favourite for ‘ever’ I reckon.
I can’t get away from the Dirty Three. I think listening to so much since I was a youngster inspired and taught me to play the violin. Also I love how big the spectrum is they move on in terms of soft and sweet and melodic to distorted and loud and chaotic and I love how Warren plays.
Two Steps on the Water Live Dates
THURS 5 OCT
The Bird, Perth
w/ Stella Donnelly & Rabbit Island
FRI 13 OCT
Howler, Melbourne
w/ Ouch My Face & Boats
