I haven't written a music post for a long time, because music is so deeply personal and indescribable, and I can't expect you to like the same music as I do. I can only think of two Hivers that might be remotely interested in this one - @cmplxty and @perceptualflaws - but if you're into post punk and spoken word, this might be worth a listen. I haven't listened to an album I enjoyed so much since Peep Tempel's 'Joy' - and this album is the first solo album by it's frontman and song writer, Blake Scott.

'Niscitam' is Melbourne music at it's best - and I've listened to it four times running today.

^{Blake Scott}

There's a certain sharpness and brutality tempered with nostaglia and subtle (and not so subtle!) criticism of the Australian social landscape that sends shivers up my spine when I listen to Scott, lyrical genius and social commentator that is on point with his searing indictment of Australian politics and the filthy, chaotic, stupid and alcoholic mashisco of men searching for something in the bitter dry plains of their past and stripped back present of booze, fatherhood and grime. That's Australia for you - the tension of angst against the mundane, binge drinking, toxic masculinity: “One a week, as we speak, women killed by men in this country… anyway, how good’s the UFC!?”. Yep. Sharp. But there's also the joy of fatherhood and 'keeping it all together' in the face of new love: ‘Love yourself, forgive yourself, forget yourself". Personal and political, it's an excellent album.

His spoken word of Australian drawl rolls like a V8 the dirt tracks of gentle snares and train thrums of the bass. Sometimes it's just damn poetically genius. Plainsman is the song that hooks me first - a sprawling narrative that begins it's steps against a bar in spoken word and then gives full stage to a sprawling instrumental with that rolling bass I have always adored in Melbourne garage/post punk.

'Kalishnakov' is an obvious follow up to an old release, 'RayGuns' screaming guitar and sharp as lyrics that stab into the heart of the Australian far right and relentless media: "The regime is coming, and they're all on ICE!" (watch here, it's fabulous). On the day of Dan Andrews informing Melbournians they'll be in lockdown for a while yet as big companies continue to profit, I listen to Scott's knife edge slice through parellel, wider sweeping matters:

Mining magnates lick their lips
About best practice for welfare recipients
Whilst drinking the average salary
In a weekend on their yacht

And

Catholics in politics
Racist, sexist, swinging dicks
Vile old pile of misanthropes steer our little ship.

If you think there's nothing wrong is this wide brown land, you're in for a confronting listen with this one.

'Hillman Hunter' is decidedly more nostalgic as it remembers a childhood in WA. Whilst acknowledging the frailty of memory that is 'overexposed and bleached with the light pastel smear of the Hillman rolling through', he describes the 'bermuda blue' car being jumpstarted down a hill to a 'free standing roll', 'giddy with a heavy leaded breath', getting older in each trip and the memory of a departed family member before she died. It's a poignant end to 45 minutes of beauty.