Mr. Wednesday
The Garden Where Parties Grow
Independent


Newly-instated local heroes, Mr. Wednesday, have given me a rather difficult task with their debut long-player, 'The Garden Where Parties Grow'. I'll make no excuse for my unprofessionalism, but it always makes a record harder to review when you know the people, their audience, the studio and the producer; not to mention when you have heard a handful of the songs at various live shows in small, cramped venues.

Judged on that level, the easiest summary of this record is that it's absolutely amazing. Jawdropping. I am honestly in disbelief that a young Adelaide band could fill themselves with this much ambition, this much focus and, in a limited timeframe (two weeks) with limited funds, produce a record so astute, so measured, so layered and so fascinating. It's the same feeling I had when I first saw Mr. Wednesday at the Jade Monkey some time ago - knowing, or thinking I knew, exactly what to expect from a triangular stage in a tiny room, I was positively floored by the sonic landscape and challenging musicality of this local quintet. At this level, Mr. Wednesday set an impressive standard.

But let's for a minute measure this record against the rest of the world. It still fares incredibly well - local legend Matt Hills can certainly add another string to his production bow, even if the mix does get a little crowded at times - but it is perhaps slightly overlong and too deliberately pretentious to be in the upper echelons of rock experimentalism. The record lacks a certain human fragility and intimacy, but it does deserve to be rated at that level and that in itself is stupidly good.

Final word: at this rate, we can expect big things from Mr. Wednesday.

Ben Revi