Hasn't it been great to see the crazies piping down. My mate Ralphy once said in response to my fear of the rising far-right in the world, [paraphrased] "Yeah, I dunno, I think people come out when things get bad enough." Isn’t it a pleasure to see a lot of ghouls going down recently?
I felt this one pretty deeply in Australia earlier in the year. I absolutely hated scomo since he was immigration minister. I was teaching in a conservative place and did not want to start promoting a 'lefty anthem' (it is not, it is an anti scomo & co. anthem) so started the pseudonym Fierce Nugget to obfuscate my real life from my money-making one. This balance has always been a tricky one for me, totally different head spaces.
Hot topics within the band’s ranks halted proceedings for a month or two. The overtly political nature of the release forced deeper conversations amongst us. The slowed timeline cost us. By the time it was released properly the Scomo&Co. smackdown happened a week later. A video made by a twitter ally racked up 11K views the last time I looked. It was nice to play a small part.
Watch the sweary video? TOP DOGS
This tune Top Dogs is one of seven songs that got workshopped with ‘stuart orchard band’ in a handful of sessions over 2021 and January 2022. Two of the seven presented as more exciting than the others. The timeliness of the upcoming Australian election meant a hustle was required to make it happen in time, double function of taking a stand and riding a wave of protest against the baddies.
The mindset entering these sessions was three fold – return to my roots – acoustic rock/folk, to ‘deintellectualize’ – having spent four years studying Western Art Music I was ready to drop the hifalutin for a while and make some noise; and finally to stop obscuring my influences, and one in particular. Over the years Radiohead and Thom Yorke are (tragically?) a clear number one. *NB due to their huge impact on me with The Bends album I have had to specifically make ‘non-radiohead’ sound choices when composing. My voice is relatively high with an easy falsetto, Thom Yorke’s signature, you see. So if my voice sounds like his and the tunes sound like them, well… thus the need to make deliberate choices away from their sound.
Top Dogs takes directly from Radiohead’s Electioneering, if you hadn’t already noticed take a listen, it is blatant, direct and deliberate. Also, it’s Radiohead so remind yourself of the glory:
As I point as blatantly as possible to my muse, I conversely chose to assume an ocker aussie persona. I figured if the singer sounded a bit bogan; a bit snarly and rough; Bon Scott inspired; it might appeal to some rusted-ons. The logic laid bare in plain-speaking, snarling, spitting mad kuhnt terms.
Top Dogs
I find it interesting you want me to dob in a dole bludger
Just that you’re holidaying overseas as the country’s burning
Minimise, distract, disguise
That’s your game
We go forwards, youse go backwards
We will never meet
You’re top dog, no doubt about it, boy next door, banality of evil
I find it interesting your party of rule of law, and law & order, lies, faked docs and shred the evidence
I find it interesting how you can’t apologise, meanwhile nightmares refill women’s eyes
We go forwards, youse go backwards
We will never meet
The message we receive’s a different thing
To what your saying
Too much and not enough
You can’t just say it, you can't!
We go forwards, youse go backwards
We will never meet
Your photo opps, another announcement,
You talk too much and not enough
listen to Top Dogs and follow FIERCE NUGGET on BANDCAMP
