True Radical Miracle – Roaches Part 1 and 2 CD

A companion piece to the 2006 full length album Cockroaches (Missing Link), two-track EP Roaches (SBB001) collects improvised material generated during the Cockroaches sessions with Neil Thomason and Brent Punshon at Sing Sing South in late 2005. This side of True Radical Miracle is rarely seen, and in fact has only been attempted publicly once in Brisbane as a part of a national tour surrounding the release of Cockroaches. In this mode the group’s distinctive rhythmic crux is abandoned in favour of an isolated drift. This is in keeping with the loose thematic approach of the album, expressing another dimension of the alienation and remoteness that is the foundation of Cockroaches. The two numerically-titled pieces comprising the Roaches EP are devoid of vocal input from Mark Groves, opting instead here for simple effected oscillators, and drummer Evelyn Morris shifts to piano, exploiting various elements of the instrument. Leith Thomas allows his bass to rumble and ring out, while Scott O’Hara revisits the diminutive guitar manipulations not heard since his early solo recordings and collaborations in Adelaide.