Red Wine and Sugar are a Melbourne duo of Mark Groves (Dead Boomers/ Von Einem Tapes) and Samaan Fieck (Ghost Gums/ Smash Tennis). The disc is a reissue of a tape that came out on Mazurka Editions last year with the addition of the track The Confidence and Humour of John – hence the title.
It begins with the static, bottom end and ominous whispered words “Every Day is a Fresh Day.” But it doesn’t feel all that fresh or optimistic. It’s a bleak industrial landscape, though more Eraserhead than Skinny Puppy, with vocals, close mic’d whispering secrets of routine and normalcy straight into your sub conscious.
Is it self-help? Self hurt?
Despite the presence of printed lyrics on the cover it’s actually pretty difficult to tell, where statements like “The prospect of eating in front of other people at a restaurant,” intersect with “You are under no pressure and don’t have to act.” There’s an element of defeatism here, and the sparse minimal bleakness of the soundscape only heightens this.
This approach to sound remains relatively consistent throughout the album, and serves to exacerbate the themes of alienation, anxiety, normalcy, self perception and negative self-talk that continue to be expressed in this peculiar, though ominous narcoleptic spoken word.
At times there is a hint of a groove such as a repetitive loop which acts as a muddy metronome, or a nod to musicality, such as the solo of feedback on ‘Often Burns Rarely Tans.’
Yet ultimately I don’t know what this is and it makes me feel uncomfortable.
It’s designed like that, an overwhelming feeling of self-dissection and forlorn hopelessness. The only moments of light come from bizarre sections of legalese that appear periodically like we’re listening to some kind of blood contract or the speaker has just pulled out a textbook and started reading.
Why are they talking about medical records and surgery? It’s emotionally intrusive, and although Red Wine and Sugar might argue that they’re merely exorcising demons, and this a cathartic process, you have to wonder about their very clear focus with difficulty, uncomfortableness and irritability. Which leads you to wonder what this music is designed for? Perhaps overly optimistic people, to take them down a peg or two? Or maybe to make people suffering depression realise their own issues aren’t as bad as this album? This is a truly strange unexpected and singular work.
