David Goding and the Tortured Artists – Out the Window

Drawing on influences from God knows where, David Goding combines pop sensibilities with a whole lot of other sensibilities to create a truly nonsensical album, full of cartwheels, laughter and visions of despair.

CD review by Peter James Dawson

In the 1970s there was an expression, which meant something was extremely unusual; another similar saying was “off the planet”.

Seemingly a family affair with Goding and Flynn surnames for all but one of the Tortured Artists, ‘Out The Window’ comes across as a homely set of songs.

I imagine the Goding-Flynn mob jamming in the lounge room night after night, in the Victorian country town of Warburton in the Yarra Ranges.

But the folk-grunge-rock fusion is directly from the dirty city streets – definitely unusual! ‘Defenestration’ reminds me of the early period of Talking Heads with its tongue-in-cheek irony.

The simple mandolin accompaniment on ‘Coming After You’ creates a plaintive feel along with Ruby Goding’s violin, with David’s punkish vocal adding to the poignancy.

More up-tempo and percussive with chunky drums from Sean Raymond is the Ganggajang-like ‘How To Breathe’; and a similar vibe is felt on driving ‘Over The Clock’.

Ange Flynn handles the lead vocal on the mournful ‘No Ceremony’, which she co-wrote with David.

Moody and dark is the mood generated on ‘Dirty To Clean’, while ‘Luck Should Have You’ lifts the atmosphere somewhat with its tinkling mandolin melody and splashy guitar chords.

A lonely piano introduces the soulful love song ‘Restless’, the final track on this tidy album of well-written originals.