Many would say that Talking To A Stranger remains one of the most instantly recognisable songs released by Hunters & Collectors when it pre-empted the release of their debut self-titled album way back in 1982.
Now, more than 30 years later, it is once again the first single, but this time from Crucible – The Songs Of Hunters & Collectors, and equally importantly it comes from another great Australian rock band in Birds of Tokyo.
Birds of Tokyo formed in Perth as a five piece alternative rock band in 2004. Since then, they have released 4 hugely successful albums including their recent #1 album March Fires featuring hit singles This Fire & Lanterns.
Call it synchronicity or just plain ol’ fate, but it is incredibly fitting that Birds Of Tokyo, one of Australia’s ground breaking and triumphant recording artists have put their own indelible stamp on this career defining song.
Talking To A Stranger is the first of 15 incredible recordings on this homage to one of Australia’s finest contemporary music collectives; the one and only Hunters & Collectors.
“When making your own records you can’t help but have some awareness of ‘who’ you are, so one way or another you’re working with that space in mind. However, this was a totally different exercise. We had a starting point that was a long way outside anything we’d normally attempt and that pushed us to reach for things that we wouldn’t normally attempt. Of course, we ended up dragging the song into our own new world in terms of textures and tones but the jagged rawness of the original is still lurking underneath in a way that’s hopefully true to the song’s spirit. Thanks to Mark Seymour for helping us with translations and we hope he and the band can forgive us for taking their song off to this other place! This was a first for us and was really refreshing.” – Birds Of Tokyo
CRUCIBLE – THE SONGS OF HUNTERS & COLLECTORS
30 songs – featuring 15 stunning tributes and 15 original recordings
Released FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27 on Liberation Music
1. Birds of Tokyo – Talking to a Stranger
2. Eddie Vedder & Neil Finn – Throw Your Arms Around Me
3. Matt Corby & Missy Higgins – This Morning
4. Oh Mercy – The Slab (Betty’s Worry)
5. Alpine – Hear No Evil
6. The Living End – Say Goodbye
7. Paul Kelly & Emma Donovan (featuring Jimblah) – True Tears of Joy
8. The Rubens – Holy Grail
9. Husky – Blind Eye
10. Something For Kate – When the River Runs Dry
11. The Panics – Alligator Engine
12. Abbe May – Dog
13. British India – Do You See What I See?
14. Cloud Control – Still Hanging ‘Round
15. The Avalanches – Stalking to a Stranger (Planets Collide Remix)
CRUCIBLE – THE SONGS OF HUNTERS & COLLECTORS
Pre-order available from:
iTunes – http://bit.ly/1cLG4HB
JB HiFi – http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/music/music-campaigns/crucible.htm
Sanity – http://www.sanity.com.au/specials/1679/Crucible
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