tribal voice

Rip It Up, Issue 199, 1 March 1994, Page 14

tribal voice

"The main objective was to bring about a solid understanding between non and aboriginal [Australians]."

In the year of indiginous people Australia's example of mixed racial harmony, Yothu Yindi, have made sure that rock n'roll can reinforce notions of equality with the superb new album. It's been a major leap for the band who, two years ago with Tribal Voice, were still searching for the balance between Aboriginal protest as a vehicle for songs dr vice versa, songs that were strong enough to carry the weighty burden of the Aboriginal plight in Australia. Freedom effortlessly does both with its exuberant mix of a native people finding its own voice within the uplifting dynamics of pop. Vocalist/ lyricist Mandawuy Yunupingu accepts the plaudits with a modest "thankyou" and explains, from his Sydney hotel, how the band made the great leap forward. "It was working with three producers. Initially we worked with two Americans and then in June a young Pommie bloke, lan Faith, came over and took us to the level we wanted. Working on Freedom we got bogged down, it was a hard one, as after Tribal Voice we were stuck for ideas as we didn't want the next one to sound the same. We wanted to find a different level and lan Faith had that ability." The songs, as they say, speak for themselves and there won't be a better beginning to an album this year than the soaring vertical take-off of the celebratory 'Timeless Lane'. "It was inspired by the Blue Mountains. We went up there last year to write the bulk of the material for Freedom. I just sat there with David Bridie. The music was written by our bass player and the lyrics by me. It's gonna be our next single." . '

Neil Finn also appears on Freedom and his unmistakeable writing craft and presence make 'Dots On the Shells' another highlight. "In between recording in Sydney I managed to fly to Auckland and work with Neil

over two days and we knocked out 'Dots On the Shells'. It's got an oceany islandy feel about it and it's got the aboriginal side related to the seasonal changes. In the process of writing we taught each other heaps. I'm looking forward to playing the song with Neil on stage, that's gonna be great." Mandawuy is a big Beatles and Bob Marley fan and he keeps a close eye on contempo-

rary Australian bands, but Yothu Yindi was formed out of much more than just a love of past influences.

"The main objective was to bring about a solid understanding between non and aboriginal [Australians]. There's all sorts of issues being discussed from land rights to social justice and we can help particularly as we've got a mixed racial contingent in the band. Physi-

cally on stage we can get this across and float our opinions through the music. "I think our impact has been really positive and in Australia there's a shift to a better understanding and there's a lot more awareness. The whole thing will only develop if people commit themselves to mapping out the future of Australia altogether." GEORGE KAY