AUTUMN GRAY – DIARY OF A FALLING MAN

Pale, bespectacled, and bearded, the seven members of Melbourne’s Autumn Gray have an air of bookishness about them that hints at afternoons spent hiding from local hoons in the public library or bicycling through cemeteries.  The packaging of their debut album, The Diary of a Falling Man, with its hand-drawn maps, suggests  literary sensibilities at work and one isn’t surprised to see glockenspiels, flutes and harmoniums listed in the liner notes alongside  more traditional rock instruments. A first listen confirms these impressions, but yields some surprises.  The arrangements – blending folk and rock guitars, electronics and even field recordings –  are lush and varied, and while the performances are mostly restrained, servicing the needs of the song, the band isn’t afraid of a big ending (Great Escape, In a House Rebuilding). That this is a concept album of sorts, with repeated melodic and lyrical motifs,  shouldn’t put off the prog-phobic. This is a very listenable collection: ambitious, detailed and winningly tuneful.  Perfect for librarians looking to release their inner hoon. ***1/2