‘Strange Bird’ is the wonderful new album from Augie March. A more concise record than the epic ‘Sunset Studies’, it still manages covers more sonic terrain. ‘Strange Bird’ veers from the sweet, building harmony of ‘The Vineyard’, through the Wild West gallop of ‘This Train’, the heavy ‘Song in the Key of Chance’ and muted melancholy of ‘O Mi Sol Li Lon’ to the plaintive balladry of ‘The Night is A Blackbird’, and that’s all in the first half hour!

New Augie March member Kiernan Box contributes piano, organ, piano accordion and a faint blast of harmonica, and a few guests add horns and strings to various parts of the album.

Like its predecessor, Strange Bird includes two tracks recorded by the band themselves (‘O Mi Sol Li Lon’ and ‘Sunstroke House’), originally meant as demos but which ended up making the grade. The album was recorded at Sing Sing in Melbourne with Chris Thompson, and in Sydney at Megaphon with Paul McKercher and Big Jesusburger with Chris Townend respectively.