The Ruins: A Brief Review Of The New Album From Ed Kuepper (Ex-The Saints) And Jim White (The Dirty Three)

What happens when you get a founding member of The Saints teamed up with a member of Nick Cave's band? Greatness. After the Flood, the new record from Ed Kuepper and Jim White is one of this month's most significant releases. And the pairing both excites and surprises in equal measure.

Opener "The Ruins" traces a languid path through desolation and despair, with Kuepper's vocals the sound of a soul lost. Even better is "The Crying Dance" where clatterings from White keep pace with fiery Richard Lloyd-ish guitar from Kuepper. All that jostles with Ed's urgent and distinct vocals. Elsewhere, "Demolition" strikes a disheveled tone, with Ed's vocals being world-weary and wise. For all that is noisy here, the real pleasant surprises for a listener are the more thoughtful numbers such as this one.

After the Flood works well at bridging two generations of Australian post-punk. The talents of Ed Kuepper and Jim White seem uniquely suited when paired together. The results, while fiery in spots, are more heartfelt and earnest than one might imagine. And it is the semi-contemplative material here that really wins over a listener. On a few cuts, like "Swing for the Crime", the combination of these two really seems to have struck gold. This is a highly recommended record for anyone with even a cursory interest in the bands these two were in, or Australian post-punk in general.

After the Flood by Ed Kuepper and Jim White is out now via 12XU Records.

[Photo: Jude Kuepper]