Sly Hats
Liquorice Night
Remote Control


It's pretty much no secret that if you missed the debut full length from The Crayon Fields last year, you missed out on a demonstration of ability and intent from a group shaping up to be one of Australia's best. While the band's energy and instrumentation deserves a good deal of credit, a huge part of their appeal comes from their singer and guitarist Geoff O'Connor, a captivatingly shy performer with a vulnerable voice and a charming habit of staring at the floor while he plays. He also happens to be a songwriter of immense skill, which doesn't hurt.

Sly Hats is O'Connor's solo project - an ongoing effort that has been brought to the fore with The Crayon Fields' brief hiatus. Though an album of the band's leftovers performed by O'Connor would probably be more than welcome, 'Liquorice Night' is - fortunately - a lot more than that: it's more wistful; more dreamy. Electric guitars are few and far between, moving aside for soft acoustic flickers and smooth organ, while the drums are swapped for woody percussion and the occasional lackadaisical drum machine.

There are still plenty of similarities, of course, with O'Connor's love of dense arrangements made up of bells and chimes shining through as obviously as it did with The Crayon Fields' 'Animal Bells', and his well-trained ear as a producer once more obvious.

Again though, it's his voice that is the biggest drawcard. This time around there's a lot more confidence in there, though it's no less charming. He's also joined by a number of female voices, bringing a few of the songs almost close to duets - Will You? and the title track most notably, and most effectively.

It's a testament to O'Connor's talent as a songwriter that the songs on 'Liquorice Night' are just as strong as anything written for The Crayon Fields. If there was ever any doubt before, we can pretty much put that to rest now - O'Connor is definitely one to watch.

Alistair Wallis