Today's Pick

It's been in my collection for years and my estimation of it does nothing other than continually increase. "Calenture" is Australian indie band The Triffids' masterpiece. The depth of the songwriting and its observations, and the overall pace of the album all indicate that their lead vocalist David McComb, was an intense artist of the most elite caliber. Formed in Perth, Western Australia in the late 70s, The Triffids achieved some international success in the 1980s, notably in Britain.
The dictionary definition of "Calenture" is, once you have listened to the album a few times, a fairly good description of the major themes running through it. Like all The Triffids' albums, "Calenture" is not an easy album to appreciate, that may be because the production is more polished, for the depth and intricacy of the late McComb's lyrics have hardly changed at all. Indeed, if calenture the delirium is all about the effect of heat on the senses, then "Calenture" the album is all about the effect of passion on reason.
Thematically "Calenture" follows on from "Born Sandy Devotional" by being concerned with, in McComb's words, unrequited love. It would be a relaxed affair, completely low-fi, and maybe "not suitable for the likes of Virgin." Its lyrical tone is one of euphoric fantasy and delusion tempered with the deflationary confrontation of a lonely reality - tenderness and compassion wed bitterness and resentment. An ineffable sadness runs throughout this album as the singer's spiritual faith in human love remains unfulfilled.
The Triffids were never labeled as a Christian band, but there's an undeniably spiritual feel to several of the songs on their most opulent and ambitious album, "Calenture." Moreover, McComb spews his words with the fiery passion of a backwoods preacher. The striking images in "Calenture" illustrate the predicaments of each song's characters. This mixing of the dark and the light side of love and relationships features elsewhere and is a hallmark of the lyrical depth and subtlety of this album. The Triffids remain one of Australia's best-loved, post-punk groups.