The Apartments are an Australian
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
band formed in 1978 in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
. The band split up in 1979 but reformed in 1984 and continued until 1997, with a new version of the band forming in 2007. Based in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, the band has continued to perform and record, with the ninth album and most recent release, ''In and Out of the Light'' released in September 2020.
Peter Milton Walsh
Peter Milton Walsh is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his band, The Apartments.
The Apartments
Peter Milton Walsh is the sole singer songwriter for The Apartments, formed in Brisbane in 1978 and named after Billy Wil ...
is the band's only constant member.
History
Early Apartments and Brisbane connections (1978-1980)
The Apartments first came together in Brisbane in 1978 with Walsh (guitar, vocals), Michael O'Connell (guitar, vocals), Peter Whitby (bass, vocals) and Peter Martin (drums).
[Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 205] The band's name derives from
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...
's 1960 film ''
The Apartment
''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David ...
''.
[Stafford, Andrew (2015)]
Interview: The Apartments: album's birth so traumatic 'it's a miracle it exists at all'
, ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 7 August 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2018
While in The Apartments, Walsh briefly joined
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout it ...
as guitarist when they were offered an 8-album contract by
Beserkley Records
Beserkley Records was an American independent record label based in Berkeley, California, from 1973 to 1984. Beserkley is usually regarded as a power pop and rock and roll label. During the 1970s, the label released albums by Earth Quake, Gre ...
. During an interview at the time,
Robert Forster
Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in ''Medium Cool'' (1969), Captain Dan Holland in ''The Black Hole'' (1979), Abdul Rafai in ''The Delta Force'' (1986), ...
and
Grant McLennan
Grant William McLennan (12 February 19586 May 2006) was an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter-guitarist. He co-founded the Go-Betweens with Robert Forster in Brisbane in 1977. In addition to his work with the Go-Betweens (1977–89, ...
spoke about Walsh and the "variety of personalities and image" in the Go-Betweens. McLennan said "Walsh is night" and Forster "We are day" with McLennan adding "We’re sun, he’s rain." Four years after Grant McLennan's death, Walsh wrote about this period and his friendship with The Go-Betweens in a piece entitled "Who will remember your tunes?"
When the Beserkley deal fell through, Walsh returned to The Apartments and
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout it ...
resumed as a three-piece. The Go-Betweens affectionately commemorated Walsh's style and his time with them on the B side of their next single, "Don't Let Him Come Back": ''"Here he comes, with his twelve o’clock junk…who’s that dressed in black? Who’s that in his apartment?"''
The Apartments' first EP ''The Return of the Hypnotist'' was recorded for The Go-Betweens'
Able Label
The Able Label was an independent record label from Brisbane, Australia.
The label was established by Damien Nelson (the proprietor of the Toowong Music Centre), together with Grant McLennan and Robert Forster in Note: nlineversion has limi ...
in May, 1979.
The Apartments broke up in October 1979 when Walsh left Brisbane. ''The Return of the Hypnotist'' EP was released the same month.
Out of Nowhere and New York (1981–1983)
In 1981, Walsh next formed a four-piece
Out of Nowhere (Walsh, guitar/vocals, Gary Warner, soprano saxophone, Tony Forde, clarinet and Graeme Hutchinson, drums) and recorded ''The Arrangements'' a cassette-only release with Pink and Blue, a duet of artists
Jenny Watson and
John Nixon, then curator of the Institute of Modern Art. After a string of shows around Brisbane during their first year, the band relocated to Sydney in 1982, adding Joe Borkowski on bass and
Jeffrey Wegener
Jeffrey may refer to:
* Jeffrey (name), including a list of people with the name
* ''Jeffrey'' (1995 film), a 1995 film by Paul Rudnick, based on Rudnick's play of the same name
* ''Jeffrey'' (2016 film), a 2016 Dominican Republic documentary film ...
of the
Laughing Clowns
Laughing Clowns, sometimes written as The Laughing Clowns, were a post-punk band formed in Sydney in 1979. In five years, the band released three LPs, three EPs, and various singles and compilations. Laughing Clowns' sound is free jazz, bluegr ...
replacing Hutchinson on drums. This incarnation of the band recorded Out of Nowhere's first and only single for
Ed Kuepper
Edmund "Ed" Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (1973–78), the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (1979–85) and the grunge-like Th ...
's Prince Melon label "No Resistance"/"Remember, Remember".
In early 1982, Walsh moved to New York City following an invitation from future Go-Between,
Robert Vickers
Robert Vickers (born 25 November 1958, Brisbane, Australia) is an Australian bass guitarist, who is best known as a member of the Australian musical group The Go-Betweens.
Vickers visited London, England in 1977, and returned to Brisbane to join ...
, to join
The Colors
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
as guitarist.
The Colors
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
split up within months of Walsh joining the band and Walsh remained in New York. A number of songs written during these years would later appear on the first Apartments album
The Evening Visits And Stays For Years.
Walsh was then asked by
Ed Kuepper
Edmund "Ed" Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (1973–78), the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (1979–85) and the grunge-like Th ...
to play bass in his band
Laughing Clowns
Laughing Clowns, sometimes written as The Laughing Clowns, were a post-punk band formed in Sydney in 1979. In five years, the band released three LPs, three EPs, and various singles and compilations. Laughing Clowns' sound is free jazz, bluegr ...
.
Walsh toured England, Europe and Australia extensively with the Laughing Clowns and also recorded the ''Law of Nature'' album and the single "Eternally Yours".
The Apartments reformed (1984-1985)
A year later Walsh returned to Australia and reformed the Apartments with a line-up including ex-Out of Nowhere members, Gary Warner (piano), Joseph Borkowski (bass) and Graeme Beavis (guitar), and Bruce Carrick (drums).
The band then recorded one of the set of New York songs as a single, "All You Wanted" (with ex-Out of Nowhere member Gary Warner on piano), (b/w "Fever Elsewhere"). Early in 1985 The Apartments recorded demos for a proposed debut album.
In June 1985, Rough Trade records signed The Apartments on the basis of the demos recorded earlier in the year. Walsh then moved to London and the Apartments' first album, ''The Evening Visits...and Stays for Years'' was released by
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...
in 1985.
The Apartments were joined by guest musicians Clare Kenny (formerly of
Orange Juice
Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange (fruit), orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. A ...
, bass, vocals),
Ben Watt
Benjamin Brian Thomas Watt (born 6 December 1962) is a British musician, singer, songwriter, author, DJ and radio presenter, best known as one half of the duo Everything but the Girl.
Early life
Watt was born in Marylebone, London, and grew u ...
of
Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Watt ...
, and Graham Lee of
The Triffids
The Triffids were an Australian alternative rock and pop band, formed in Perth in Western Australia in May 1978 with David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo"The Triff ...
.
Reviewing ''The Evening Visits...'' for the ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', critic Jane Wilkes wrote "after whetting our appetites with last year's classic import single 'All You Wanted' The Apartments have stunned us to a reverential silence. This album is a pure heart-wrencher, and should only be listened to after dark." French music critic and biographer of
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...
, Bayon, writing in ''
Libération
''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France's ...
'', drew favourable comparisons to a diverse range of musicians, both contemporary (
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrum ...
,
Felt
Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...
,
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...
) and preceding (
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...
,
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Alex Chilton
William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...
). ''The Evening Visits...'' subsequently appeared in the ''NME''s 1985 'Albums of the Year' end of year critic list and became a cult hit in France.
"All You Wanted" was reissued by Rough Trade, the single reaching no. 29 on the
UK Independent Chart
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...
in 1986.
[Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980–1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 10]
Following an English tour with
Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Watt ...
, a new line-up emerged that included Jurgen Hobbs (bass), Judy Anderson (piano, organ) and Nick Allum (drums). This incarnation of the band played shows in the UK and Europe and released a single, "The Shyest Time", in 1988. "The Shyest Time" was featured on the soundtrack of
John Hughes' movie ''
Some Kind of Wonderful''.
Subsequent litigation between The Apartments and Hughes' production company over recording prevented the Apartments from releasing new material for nearly 18 months.
Australia and France (1989-1999)
With
Rough Trade in receivership as the Eighties ended, Walsh left England for Australia. He continued writing and occasional performances as a duet with
Amanda Brown of
The Go Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout ...
and as the Apartments with
Ed Kuepper
Edmund "Ed" Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (1973–78), the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (1979–85) and the grunge-like Th ...
. Recordings of both were extensively bootlegged.
In 1993, The Apartments recorded ''Drift'', the first Apartments album released in Australia, on Melbourne label Torn & Frayed. ''Drift'' was next released in France on
New Rose
"New Rose" by The Damned was the first single by a British punk rock group, released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France.
Written by guitarist Brian James, "New Rose" was also included on t ...
. The album (like its predecessor) achieved high praise in France,
with ''
Les Inrockuptibles
''Les Inrockuptibles'' () is a French cultural magazine. Started as a monthly magazine in 1986, it became weekly in 1995. Now it is a monthly again, since 2021. In the beginning, rock music was the magazine's primary focus, though every issue in ...
'' placing ''Drift'' at no. 19 in their end of year list in 1993 and 7th place in the readers' list. Due to its popularity in France, the album was re-released and remastered through French indie label
Talitres
Talitres, formerly known as Talitres Records, is a French independent record label based in Bordeaux, founded in 2000 and specializing in indie pop and folk music. It began as a way to release music from indie rock bands that were not distribute ...
in 2010.
A tour of France followed in 1994 with The Apartments consisting of Walsh, two members of
Big Heavy Stuff
Big Heavy Stuff was an Australian indie rock band, established in 1990 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band released four studio albums before folding in the mid-2000s, later reuniting for some select shows between 2009 and 2010. The band toured ...
— Eliot Fish (bass, vocals) and Greg Atkinson (guitar, vocals) — and Nick Allum on drums.
The Apartments then recorded three more albums in quick succession: ''A Life Full of Farewells'' (1995), the acoustic ''Fête Foraine'' (1996), and ''Apart'' (1997).
[Bush, John]
The Apartments Biography
, AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
. Retrieved 17 December 2018 ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' reviewer Rob O'Connor described ''A Life Full of Farewells'' as "the sort of ornate pop record one usually associates with big-budget psychedelia or overstudied Anglo pop. For the most part, Walsh's songs enable listeners to enjoy time spent in places we would usually rather not be." ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'' said "Taken together, 1985's ''The Evening Visits...'', 1993's ''Drift'' and 1995's ''A Life Full of Farewells'' constitute the finest, most distinguished catalogue I've heard in the past decade or so."
On the final day of mixing and recording apart Walsh was informed that his young son had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
After this, Walsh suspended writing and touring for the Apartments to devote his attention to his son, who died two years later in September 1999.
Walsh later described his reasons for not resuming his musical career after his son's death. "I just wanted nothing to do with anything that didn't have him in it. I felt like I had been given every chance of happiness and he got none. I felt entitled to nothing."
Cover versions of Apartments songs
The song "Mr Somewhere" was covered by
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating ...
in their 1991 album ''
Blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
''.
Other covers include
Ed Kuepper
Edmund "Ed" Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (1973–78), the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (1979–85) and the grunge-like Th ...
's reading of "Places Where The Night Is Long" on his 1995 album, ''Exotic Mail Order Moods'' and "Knowing You Were Loved" by
Renée Geyer
Renée Rebecca Geyer (born 11 September 1953) is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's Worl ...
in 1999 on her ''Sweet Life'' album.
2007 reformation
![Apartments 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Apartments_2010.jpg)
In 2007, encouraged by
John Willsteed, bass player on ''Drift'', Walsh was convinced briefly to perform again and the Apartments (Walsh, Eliot Fish, Willsteed, Jeff Crawley, George Bibicos and Gene Maynard (drums)) played the Pig City Festival at the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
in Brisbane. Walsh then agreed to shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Walsh played three shows in France in November 2009. Walsh played with Fish (with two French musicians on some songs) in Chinon, Paris (L'Européen) and Clermont-Ferrand. The Apartments were supported by French band 49 Swimming Pools, who, as fans of The Apartments, organised the tour.
A French tour for 2012 (''It's Not Our World Anymore'') was announced via French crowdfunding site Ulule. A series of shows took place in November and December, in art galleries and boutiques in Paris and La Rochelle and in regular music venues in Paris (Bouffes du Nord), Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Nantes, and Allonnes. Walsh played with Amanda Brown, Nick Allum (from
the Fatima Mansions
The Fatima Mansions were an Irish rock band formed in 1988 by Cork singer/keyboardist Cathal Coughlan, formerly of Microdisney.
Career
The original line-up consisted of Coughlan, Nick Allum, Jonathan Fell, Zac Woolhouse and Aindrias O'Gruama. ...
),
Wayne Connolly
Wayne Paul Connolly is an Australian musician, record producer and audio engineer. From 1991 to 1997 Connolly provided lead guitar and vocals in guitar pop group the Welcome Mat, with whom he released two studio albums. In 1994, he formed Knie ...
(of Knievel), Fabien Tessier and Samuel Léger (of 49 Swimming Pools) and Gaël Riteau. The tour featured the use of photos of
Jean Seberg
Jean Dorothy Seberg (; ; November 13, 1938August 30, 1979) was an American actress who lived half of her life in France. Her performance in Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film ''Breathless'' immortalized her as an icon of French New Wave cinema.
Seb ...
taken on the set of the film ''
À Bout de Souffle
''Breathless'' (french: À bout de souffle, lit=Out of Breath) is a 1960 French crime drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a wandering criminal named Michel, and Jean Seberg as his American girlfrie ...
'' by
Raymond Cauchetier
Raymond Cauchetier (10 January 1920 – 22 February 2021) was a French photographer, known for his work as the set photographer from 1959 to 1968 on many films of the French New Wave. His photographs are an important record of the New Wave dire ...
. In collaboration with Parisian graphic designer Pascal Blua, Cauchetier personally approved Walsh's use of his images, some never before published, as stage backdrops and in promotional material for the tour.
During the 2012 ''It's Not Our World Anymore'' tour, the Apartments recorded a live session for the ''Label Pop'' radio programme on
Radio France
Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster.
Stations
Radio France offers seven national networks:
*France Inter — Radio France's "generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety of ...
. This was later released by French label Talitres as a limited edition vinyl LP of 500 copies for Disquaire Day (
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
), ''Seven Songs'', on 20 April 2013.
A double CD/LP/Cassette reissue of the Apartments debut album ''The Evening Visits... and Stays for Years'', including rarities and demos, was released on 31 March 2015 by Brooklyn record label Captured Tracks.
[Bergstrom, John (2015)]
The Apartments: The Evening Visits... and Stays for Years
, PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
, 8 April 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2018 It covers the first seven years of material including the tracks from the first EP ''The Return of the Hypnotist''.
Also included are liner notes by Walsh, Steven Schayer (ex-
The Chills
The Chills are a New Zealand rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1980. The band is essentially the continuing project of singer/songwriter Martin Phillipps, who is the group's sole constant member. For a time in the 1990s, the act was billed a ...
) and
Robert Forster
Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in ''Medium Cool'' (1969), Captain Dan Holland in ''The Black Hole'' (1979), Abdul Rafai in ''The Delta Force'' (1986), ...
from the Go-Betweens.
''No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal''
In October 2013 Walsh began recording a new Apartments album in Sydney, Australia, at Alberts Studio with
Wayne Connolly
Wayne Paul Connolly is an Australian musician, record producer and audio engineer. From 1991 to 1997 Connolly provided lead guitar and vocals in guitar pop group the Welcome Mat, with whom he released two studio albums. In 1994, he formed Knie ...
as producer. This album, ''No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal'', was released by French label Microcultures in April 2015. The album was recorded with Apartments players Eliot Fish, Amanda Brown, Gene Maynard, Wayne Connolly, and various guests. Nick Allum recorded additional percussion and drums at Press Play Studios in London while French collaborators Natasha Penot and Antoine Chaperon from Grisbi recorded vocals and other instruments in their home studio in France. Natasha Penot features on the duet "Black Ribbons", which was originally released by Chapter Music in 2011 as a single with a Spring mix by Grisbi and an Autumn mix by John Willsteed.
The NSNSNM recording of "Black Ribbons" features additional backing vocals as well as flugelhorn by Miroslav Bukovsky. Artwork for the album was done by Pascal Blua and 50 copies of limited edition handwritten lyrics were made available through Microcultures during the pre-order stage.
The first single taken from the album, "Twenty One", was released in January 2015. The Apartments toured France in September 2015.
Lyonel Sasso in French based ''Magic Revue Pop Moderne'' wrote "...This album is like our favorite season, a sky full of promises and memories. The choirs of September Skies resound as loudly as the heart racing - a simple joy. Walsh is like Ulysses, returning from his odyssey and his miracles. He continues to play the same pop music, regardless of the time spent, deadlines, contracts, money and disappointment." ''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' magazine awarded the album 9/10, with Jon Dale writing "...Played with quiet grace, the eight chamber-pop songs here are alternatively harrowing and redemptive, anchored by loss." In Australia, Noel Mengel said "Loss courses through these songs like blood through the veins...Just eight songs, less than 40 minutes of music. But what songs. It’s perfect just as it is."
While in Tours, France a video for "Please Don't Say Remember" was made by US Director Paul Harrill.
At year's end, French music magazine ''Magic'' named ''No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal'' no. 1 album of the year, a position never before achieved by an Australian artist. In Australia, ABC Radio National's music show, ''Inside Sleeve'', named "Twenty One" the no. 1 song of 2015. In the US, ex-''Mojo'' editor Dave DiMartino made the album his no. 1 in his albums of the year list, saying "The first album of new material in years from Australian Peter Milton Walsh of the Apartments is fantastic, emotionally profound, and maybe the most moving collection of songs I've heard in years. Untouchably great."
In September 2016, Riley Records released ''No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal'' in Australia and New Zealand. This release includes two exclusive bonus tracks recorded following the April French Tour, "Nobody Like You", and an acoustic version of "Swap Places", featuring the tour trio. A video for the acoustic version of "Swap Places" was also released in September and features the photography of Jérôme Sevrette. In December 2016, Netherlands based label Brandy Alexander released ''No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal''.
Touring
The Apartments toured France in 2015 with a full band including French (Penot, Chaperon, Tessier, Riteau), English (Allum) and Australian players (Fish and Walsh) to promote the release of ''No Song, No Spell, No Madrigal'.
On New Year's Day 2016 the Apartments played a headline show as part of the
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
/Weiwei exhibition at the
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum.
The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...
. The Apartments then played a sold-out show in the Speigeltent at the Sydney Festival in January 2016.
In April 2016 The Apartments undertook a nine-show ''Three for the Road'' French tour as a trio with Antoine Chaperon, Natasha Penot and Walsh, playing Chartres, Saint-Lô , Lille, Paris, Amiens, Beaumont, Hyères, Grenoble, and Lyon. Jim Yamouridis, Seb Martel and Fabrice Fabrice Barré supported The Apartments for part of the tour.
In July 2016 The Apartments, including Brown, Connolly, Fish, Miro Bukovsky, Clare Moore, and Walsh, played a headline show as part of 'Monet's Garden: The Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris' at the
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum.
The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...
.
During 2017 and 2018 The Apartments / Peter Milton Walsh focused on playing locally in Australia with shows in Sydney and Brisbane before Peter Milton Walsh based himself in the south of France for three months.
The 2018 residency in France allowed extensive touring in France, along with shows in London, Rotterdam, Cologne and Lausanne. For these shows, The Apartments consisted of Peter Milton Walsh with long term French collaborators Natasha Penot and Antoine Chaperon.
On December 11, 2021, The Apartments played The Great Club in
Marrickville
Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local gove ...
. Support was
Lindy Morrison
Belinda "Lindy" Morrison (born 2 November 1951) is an Australian musician originally from Brisbane, Queensland. She was the drummer in indie rock group the Go-Betweens from 1980 to 1989, appearing on all of the band's releases from their first L ...
and
Rob Snarski playing as a duo.
Releases and guest appearance
In January 2017, Brisbane label LCMR released a limited edition of 300 copies of The Apartments' first EP.
In 2017 The Apartments released two albums from their back catalogue and for both it was the first time in vinyl and releases were limited to 1,000 copies each.
Talitres and Riley Records released ''drift'' in September and Microcultures and Riley Records released ''fête foraine'' in November. The albums were reviewed together by ''
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:
* ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship
* ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997
* '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' in March 2018. ''drift'' was rated 7/10 and Jon Dale wrote the album is "...full of transit, a series of set pieces for urban anomie and romantic collapse...", while ''fête foraine'' received a 9/10 rating.
Walsh is guest vocalist on "Attention to Life", a track on
Piano Magic
Piano Magic was a musical collective formed in the summer of 1996 by Glen Johnson, Dominic Chennell, and Dick Rance in London, England. Their sound has been described as ambient pop, post-rock, indietronica, dark wave, "arty baroque pop" and " ...
's final album, ''Closure'', released by Second Language Music on 20 January 2017. The album also features guest appearances by
Audrey Riley
Audrey Riley is an English cellist and string arranger, based in the UK.
Career
Riley trained at the Guildhall School of Music with Leonard Stehn. She was a cellist for Virginia Astley from 1983 to 1986 and a one-time auxiliary member of The Fam ...
, cellist on The Apartments first album.
The band's show from September 2015 at the L'Ubu club in
Rennes
Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
, featuring Allum, Chaperon, Fish, Riteau, Tessier, Penot was recorded by French television, and the performance was released on the ''Live at L'Ubu'' double vinyl album on
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
, 13 April 2019.
In September 2020
Talitres
Talitres, formerly known as Talitres Records, is a French independent record label based in Bordeaux, founded in 2000 and specializing in indie pop and folk music. It began as a way to release music from indie rock bands that were not distribute ...
released a new album, In and Out of the Light
The Apartments are due to tour France in March 2022
[https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=350515940409614&set=pb.100063536328212.-2207520000.. ] with Allum, Chaperon and Penot. Eliot Fish is replaced by
Michael Hiscock
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
of
The Field Mice
The Field Mice were an English indie rock band on the independent record label Sarah Records. They had top 20 success in both the singles and albums UK Independent Charts.
Career
The Field Mice initially formed as a duo from South London subur ...
.
Discography
Albums
Singles, EPs
Compilation tracks
*''Some Kind of Wonderful Soundtrack'' (1987), MCA: "The Shyest Time"
*''POPvolume#1'' (1999),POPnews: "Knowing You Were Loved"
*''Behind the Banana Curtain – a collection of 41 Brisbane bands'' (2000), 4ZZZ: "Help"
*''Can’t Stop It! Australian Post-Punk 1978-82'' (2005) Chapter: "Help"
* ''Inner City Soundtrack'' (2005) Laughing Outlaw: "All You Wanted"
References
Further reading
*
Clinton Walker
Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music. He is known for his books ''Highway to Hell'' (1994; a biography of Bon Scott), ''Buried Country'' (2000; also a film and soundtrack album), ''History is Made a ...
(1984). ''The Next Thing: Contemporary Australian Rock'' Kangaroo Press.
*
Clinton Walker
Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music. He is known for his books ''Highway to Hell'' (1994; a biography of Bon Scott), ''Buried Country'' (2000; also a film and soundtrack album), ''History is Made a ...
(1996). ''
Stranded: The Secret History of Australian Independent Music 1977-1991''. Pan MacMillan Australia.
* Andrew Stafford (2004). ''Pig City: from the Saints to Savage Garden''. University of Queensland Press. ISBNs 9780702233609 (first edition), 9780702235610 (second edition)
*
Rob Young (2006). ''Rough Trade: Labels Unlimited'' Black Dog Publishing.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apartments
Australian indie rock groups
Musical groups from Brisbane
Musical groups established in 2008
Rough Trade Records artists
Glass Records artists