Coming after the twin monuments of genius that were "Born Sandy Devotional " and "Calenture" The Black Swan , originally released in April 1989( A tremendous year for albums) , seemed a touch lightweight in comparison. It lacked the depth of emotion , the sheer brio and gravitas of those two albums. It seemed a little synthetic too, the band having embraced new technology with synths and programming yet listening to it today after years of dismissing it as a pretty but slightly empty confection I have to say that while it's still not as good as BSD or Calenture it's actually a very fine ambitious and exotic pop album.
The album was originally conceived as a double album and on this re-release with various demo's and alternate versions it attains the sort of status it was originally meant to ,with six extra tracks so it becomes their version of the "White Album". In the recording sessions the Triffids were joined by producer Stephen Street (the Smiths' - Strangeways, Here We Come and Morrissey's Viva Hate). The Black Swan used a greater variety of musical instruments than their previous albums with bouzouki, güiro and accordion thrown into the mix .The title of the album was originally going to be Disappointment Resort Complex but was renamed to The Black Swan, which according to a 1989 interview by Stephen Phillips of the NME with David McComb is based on the 1952 novel (of the same name) by Thomas Mann.
Musically The Black Swan is extraordinarily diverse. "Too Hot To Move Too Hot To Think" is a suitably languorous ballad with a gorgeous chorus melody and is the one song on the album that ,like former albums did so readily, evinces visions of the band native Australia. "Fairytale Love" is a pretty tippling nursery rhyme in direct contrast to the harsher rockabilly chimes of "One Mechanic Town" which could have come off "In The Pines".
The programmed drums and synths of "Falling Over You" not to mention David Macomb's half spoken lazy rap verses make it the least likely Triffids song ever but the harmony is intoxicating .As is the single "Goodbye Little Boy" sung in her slightly peculiar crisp enunciation by Jill Birt .The other Jill Birt sung track "Good Fortune Rose" isn't as good as that but is still a shimmering appealing pop song. "American Sailors" is brief and melancholic while "The Spinning Top Song" has muted feedback over a gulping programmed backing track. The cheery four four time signatures of "Bottle Of Love" make it one of the weakest Triffid tracks ever while "Butterflies Into Worms" has a blues/jazz vibe. Strangest of all are the Romany gypsy tones of "The Clown Prince" which puts me in mind of the fabulous Devotchka."Blackeyed Susan " I'm not that fond off either but "New Years Greetings" is terrific with husky harmonies and a deft intricate acoustic arrangement.
The extra tracks make the album even more of a sprawling slightly unfocused encounter but it could be argued that a song like "Shell Of A Man "(The B-side of Goodbye Little Boy) should have been included on the original release rather than "Bottle Of Love" The rest are okay but nothing to get excited about and much as I love this band it's plain to see that they were running out of steam and the subsequent split was the right thing to do . Of the alternate versions on disc two I prefer the take of "Good Fortune Rose" and the version of "Too Hot To Move, Too Hot To Think" is notable as it sounds not so much torporous as comatose.
The Triffids are one of those bands who mean a lot to me for reasons I cannot really explain . They produced the two monumental albums I mentioned earlier and they were terrific live but they connected emotionally with me in the same way The Blue Nile did. It's just something you feel when you hear their music. The Black Swan has enough movements that grab like that to make it worth purchasing and even if it doesn't connect with you like it does with me you have to hear because well...it's The Triffids and everything they had a hand in deserves to be heard by as many people as possible.
