Description
Milk – Golden Ring Life
CD review by Tony Smith TN178
TN684-34 – $25
Helen Begley (Vocals, Harmony, Guitar, Accordion), Emily Hayes (Vocals, Harmony, Timbral, Shaker), Lenore Ellet (Violin, Harmony) and Greg Craske (Double Bass, Guitar) make up this Melbourne quartet.
They have support from Special Guests Anthony Pateras (Piano), Dave Nelson (Percussion), Mia Dyson (Guitar, Lap Steel), and Kirsty Stegwazi and Carl Panuzzo (Harmony).
All words and music are by Helen Begley but she shares writing credits with Emily Hayes on ‘Train Song’.
Helen is well known in Melbourne, having founded ‘Chicks with Picks’, an association of female guitarists.
Also, with some other singer-songwriters, she has written and performed the ‘Good Girl Song’ Project at a number of music festivals.
Some of these songs are rather sad and sometimes mysterious.
‘Wishing Tree’ offers an alternative way of making a wish if your birthday candles break.
Meet under the wishing tree and you can use a net to catch a lovely day.
‘Don’t Come Any Closer’ describes what happens when two shy lovers meet, not daring to hope.
You might expect an audience to laugh at the ‘Golden Ring Life’.
It invites all sorts of violence on your ‘punching bag nose’ and your broken teeth.
Not everyone will appreciate this potentially forlorn track but it does feature very nice strings.
Then ‘It’s Hollow, It’s Brittle’ describes a ‘quiet desperation’.
Midway is ‘Miss M’ (The Dirty Circus Mix), a cabaret style of song with lots of regret.
You can almost hear the vampires gathering.
The duet and mix of male and female voices provides good variety.
In ‘Saved’ there are numerous references to addiction and self harm, a cynical note about having ‘Jesus on my wrist’ and there’s a ‘little bit of wounded sainthood’.
This is a modern urban blues.
‘Postcard’ (From a Factory Floor) describes what it is like to be industrial fodder.
The exploitation and hypocrisy are highlighted sharply: ‘The profits they make, if we never complain then nothing will change’.
The victim begins to speak the language of the employers, and you understand why it is difficult to break out of the cycle.
There are more nice strings to enjoy here too.
This is without doubt one highlight of the album.
Behind ‘Souvenir’ lies the reality of Australia’s cruel treatment of asylum seekers: ‘All I want is peace and quiet.
‘Not desert winds and razor wires.
‘Take some thread and stitch me up’.
This reminds us of people protesting with their lips sewn, and of how the legal system was weighted against these victims of political opportunism.
Gentle guitar accompaniment makes this track very listenable indeed.
‘Train Song’ is arranged very skilfully in spiritual style.
The train motif is a common analogy for escape and freedom – ‘Freedom Train’ and ‘Midnight Special are close cousins.
The singing arranged around clapping and the Doppler effect on the voices as the train leaves the listener are very effective.
‘The Cowboy Song’ features lap steel which augments the travelling effect and the feelings of distance between friends.
Regardless of lyrics, this song just sounds sweet.
In this 2004 album of a dozen tracks running for just over 50 minutes, other tracks include ‘Kirsty’ and ‘Praise’.
Golden Ring Life is a courageous album.
Several songs tackle uncomfortable issues of sexual politics and take the listener into some psychologically disturbing areas.
On a more overtly public level, there are critiques of capitalism and xenophobia.
Despite having these serious themes, the songs do not become either too angry or too maudlin.
Helen Begley has a clear focus and the mature writing skills to express her ideas.
Milk provided excellent support.
Ed. Milk have two albums for sale from the Trad&Now website.
Helen Begley also has an album for sale from the Trad&Now website.
Tracks from all three albums can be heard on Trad&Now Live! from time to time.
