Search - Wedding Parties Anything :: Riveresque (Bonus CD)

An American Review----These guys are good!

mrtahiti | Jupiter, Florida | 08/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Weddings Parties Anything is a Melbourne, Australia band that I got "dragged" to see when I was in Sydney a few years back and since then I've probably become their biggest North American fan. These guys are to Australia what Jimmy Buffett is to Florida except they haven't been at it as long and they don't have any Cheeseburger in Paradise-like tunes that make you want to yak. Unfortunately I hear they split so all that's left is their previous stuff. Buy this album and when Trophy Night finds its way to Amazon, buy that too--that's their greatest hits. Or go to their website and buy it overseas, and while you're at it, pick up King Tide, Roaring Days, and Difficult Loves. The way they blend the accordion into a good upbeat tempo via acoustic and electric guitars makes for a great sound. Their accents are pretty cool too!!"

Incredible!

Andrew B Howe | Sydney, Australia | 07/22/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hmm ... an Australian band which nobody outside of Oz has probably ever heard of, and an import CD (with commensurate costs) to boot. All of which means that the chances of anyone reading this review are remote, but if by chance you've somehow got this far I urge you to continue, since I'm here to tell you that this CD would be a bargain at any price.WPA have been an Australian institution for about, oh, eleven years now. Their rep. has been largely built on the strength of their live shows - sometimes their energy has made it onto the studio recordings, sometimes not. The sound tends to centre around the standard guitars (often acoustic), bass, drums set-up, often augmented by fiddles, accordians and the like (which is not to say they can't rock when the need arises, merely that their subject matter often requires a somewhat stripped-down approach. Call it Oz-roots/folk/rock and leave it at that.) They are best known for their single "Fathers Day" whic! h won an ARIA (the Australian music profession's equivalent of the Grammy's) for Song of the Year in the early nineties, but since then their sales seem to have been limited to those few who have kept the faith.Which is an injustice, because "Riveresque", arriving unheralded and slipping from the airwaves with minimal fuss, was the album of 1996. WPA have always sung about the common man, and the theme of this release seems to be movement - moving house, moving States, moving on. The list of treasures is extensive - the oddly named "A Decent Cup of Coffee", which concerns itself with a meeting between ex-lovers in a small country town; "For A Short Time", a touching tale of the loss we feel when distance terminates friendships in their infancy (and it's one of those songs which shows what an incredible perception of the human condition their lyricist, Michael Thomas, possesses); "The Sound of a Train", a deceptively upbeat number! dealing with memories of past joys, the lyrics of which ar! e almost too painful to contemplate; and "The Lights of Devonport", a haunting, powerful song which leaves me awestruck and incapable of adequately communicating how a simple tale of escaping small town life could be so shattering, and yet so uplifting as well.And, of course, the band plays like they are invested in these songs, meshing as only a unit who has played together for over a decade can. There is passion here, no doubt about it, and if they never truly rock out like they did on "Difficult Loves" it's because there's a good deal of regret as well.This album is the sound of daily life, and it connects with us all. Miss it at your peril."