Classic album: You Am I – Hourly, Daily

Quite possibly the best kept secret in Australian music since The Saints had to leave down under and break London to get noticed, this album should by rights be part of the collection of anyone who has even a passing interest in guitar-based electric music – following on from the proto-grunge of debut Sound As Ever and the poppier Hi-Fi Way this is pure mod-pop heaven.

The (at that time) trio, You Am I, set out to both ape and update the sounds of the likes of The Creation and The Small Faces and with George Drakoulias (producer of a couple of Black Crowes albums and a number of film soundtracks) at the control board for two tracks and producing the rest themselves, they succeeded in releasing a disc at once both instantly accessible and consistently playable. An undercurrent of melancholia runs through the entire 15 tracks lending the whole product a pseudo-concept album feel but that’s not to say that it lacks cheer – to my mind it’s one of the most uplifting discs I own.

That melancholic air makes itself known from the off with the title track sharply focusing the listener on a semi-acoustic pre-dawn musing on the state of play in the world. Positive times arrive though when the alarm clock goes and our muser says ‘Good Mornin” and ‘Mr Milk’ rowdily voices his thoughts on how to win his love’s hand whilst on his rounds. ‘Soldiers’ ventures into the rose-tinted martial territory of Sgt. Pepper and ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ complete with band-on-the-green brass fills. Youthful swagger and the desire to sweep your would-be sweetheart off her feet are expertly portrayed on ‘Trike’ and can you really get enough of that organ and those handclaps?

‘Tuesday’ brings with it a return of the blacker mood (akin in tone to much of Blur’s Modern Life Is Rubbish) but the brass is still there trilling away to show all’s not as bad as it may seem. To drive that point home ‘Opportunities’ bursts on to the scene and brings with it the album’s first eminently singalongable moments. Next up is the three minute soap opera of ‘If We Can’t Get It Together’. Pass the hankies Bruce… Taking our minds once more off of the negatives in relationships we get ‘Flag Fall $1.80′, which owes a fair debt to both Lonnie Donegan & Pete Townsend. Stomping along in tenth place comes ‘Wally Raffles’ with yet more feedback drenched near mayhem.

Calming down and benefiting from the introduction of a string quartet things take a more serious turn on ‘Heavy Comfort’ as brief hope in a dying relationship is recounted. ‘Dead Letter Chorus’ recaptures some bombast before the best feel good track of the lot arrives in the shape of ‘Baby Clothes’ – you can well picture a young Jagger stalking around the stage sneering this one out. Reflection time on the penultimate track, ‘Please Don’t Ask Me To Smile’, that clearly foreshadows singer Tim Rogers’ solo Americana career that now runs concurrently with that of YAI. Completing the trip is ‘Who Takes Who Home’, an emotionally charged end of the party suburban love song. There’s a hidden track about five minutes after the end of this one but I can’t put a name to it.

In the 12 years since this album was released the band have become a four-piece following the addition of Davey Lane (also of The Pictures) to the ranks and have released the nearly as good (as in 9.5 out of 10) You Am I’s Number 4 Record and Dress Me Slowly, the less good Deliverance (a slightly mis-judged foray into alt. country), the near return to form Convicts and last year’s Dilettantes, as well as the enjoyable live album Saturday Night, ‘Round 10. Transcopic Records released No After You Sir… An Introduction to You Am I six years ago at which time I was lucky enough to see them live (for the first time since doing so when they toured this album) and even luckier to avoid The Vines who they were unfortunately supporting (good too on that bill were Rocket Science) but as a starting point Hourly, Daily is definitely the prime place to begin discovering these guys. Excuse me whilst I press “play” again…