Augie March
Encyclopedia
Augie March are an Australian indie
/pop rock
band. Formed in 1996 in Shepparton
, Victoria
, the band currently consists of vocalist
and rhythm guitar
ist Glenn Richards
, lead guitar
ist Adam Donovan
, bassist
Edmondo Ammendola, drummer
David Williams, and keyboardist
Kiernan Box. Box replaced Rob Dawson, the band's initial piano player, who died in 2001.
Augie March's rise to fame was slow; their first two EP
s failed to make an impact on the market, despite Waltz
being nominated for two ARIA Awards
. Their first album, Sunset Studies
, was released in 2000. Despite poor sales, it was critically acclaimed and received an ARIA Award nomination. Critics in both Australia and the United States also lauded its 2002 successor, Strange Bird
, but it sold and charted poorly in both countries. Augie March's third album, Moo, You Bloody Choir
(2006), received a much better reception in terms of sales; its lead single "One Crowded Hour
" attained critical acclaim and appeared on the ARIA Charts
at number 29, while the album was nominated for numerous ARIA Awards and won an Australian Music Prize
. Having achieved mainstream success, the band toured Australia and the United States regularly through 2006 and 2007. In 2008 they released their fourth album, Watch Me Disappear
. It became their most commercially successful album, but received the least favourable critical reception.
Augie March's distinctive musical style is directed by songwriter and vocalist Richards. His lyrics often draw critical acclaim for their poetic style. The band's music is generally described as intricate, lush, and dense, acting as a backdrop for Richards' complex and poetic vocals.
, Adam Donovan
and David Williams grew up and attended school in Shepparton, Victoria
. Richards began writing songs while studying English at university in 1996. He invited Donovan and Williams, who had been studying music at the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE
, to join him; they in turn asked classmate Edmondo Ammendola to join in. The band took their name from the 1954 novel The Adventures of Augie March
by Saul Bellow
, citing its poetic, complex prose as a reflection of Richards' vocals.
Augie March's first performance was in Brunswick
at a friend's art exhibition. After playing several other gigs, the band were signed by record label
Ra Records (a RooArt
subsidiary distributed by BMG), at the time considered to be prestigious. Augie March's first EP
, Thanks for the Memes, was produced by Victor Van Vugt
and released in early 1998. Despite very positive reviews it received very little airplay. Williams later remarked that he was surprised the band had been able to find a producer considering the obscure music on the EP, which at the time the band had considered "hip and cool, and intellectual".
Augie March followed up with their second EP, Waltz
, in October 1998. Produced by Richard Pleasance, the EP included "Asleep in Perfection", which became the most requested song on ABC
's rage
program. The song was nominated for "Breakthrough Artist - Single", and Pleasance for "Producer of the Year", at the 2000 ARIA Music Awards
. The band began touring around Australia, getting as far as Perth
, and their popularity increased through word of mouth
. BMG offered Augie March a recording contract
, which they accepted.
. Album launches in Sydney and Melbourne
were attempted, but were unsuccessful as both cities were very crowded with musicians at the time; Donovan said "it seemed like every band in the country was doing a tour then and we couldn't get any venues". Thus, they played a small tour along Australia's east coast
. The album did not chart well; it spent one week on the ARIA Albums Chart at number 35.
Sunset Studies critical reception, however, was very positive; Noel Mengel of The Courier-Mail
said that on the album, "songs of quiet reflection, starkly beautiful melodies and intimate poetry collide on the canvas without a thought to sales graphs or what radio program directors might think", while Allmusic's Jack Rabid told American readers "it's worth the effort to track down [the album], particularly for those who think there are no more musical craftsmen out there". The album's production earned it the 2001 ARIA Award
for "Engineer of the Year", as well as nominations for "Producer of the Year", "Breakthrough Artist - Album" and "Best Cover Art". Of the album's six engineers, Paul McKercher, Chris Thompson, Richard Pleasance, and Chris Dickie were credited with the ARIA Award for best engineer. McKercher and Pleasance, as well as the band, were named producers. Of the singles released from the album, "There Is No Such Place" was the most popular, charting at number 47 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2001
.
Preparations for a follow-up to Sunset Studies were thrown into disarray on 2 January 2001 when Dawson died in a car crash. The event had a significant impact on the band and especially on Richards as he wrote their next album. However, the resulting work was not mournful; Richards described it as optimistic and humorous. To replace Dawson, Melbournian Kiernan Box joined the band as a keyboardist. The band produced Strange Bird
independently; Donovan said this worked to their advantage as they felt more comfortable in their own studio, and that as a result Strange Bird was a better album than Sunset Studies, though the band's debut album was "probably received better by our fans". In response to complaints concerning Richards' Sunset Studies wordplay, Augie March included a lyrics booklet with Strange Bird.
Strange Bird was released by BMG as the band's second studio album in October 2002. It was also released by spinART Records
in the UK in that month. It was re-released in the United States in September 2004. Like its predecessor, Strange Bird failed to make an impact on the charts, spending one week on the ARIA Albums Chart at number 34. Its first single, "The Vineyard", spent one week on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 31. Augie March began touring around Australia almost immediately following the album's release.
The critical response to Strange Bird, unlike its brief chart history, was overwhelmingly positive. The enthusiastic response even caught the band by surprise; Williams told Rip It Up "I could see a few holes in the album and I'd say, 'how come no one else has picked this up?'" Reviewers, however, focused on the positives; Guy Garvey of The Independent
said "My favourite of the year is Augie March's Strange Bird", while David Fricke
wrote in Rolling Stone
of "luxuriant melees of chiming guitars, mountain-stream voices and keyboard grandeur". Donovan said the band found it hard to take the positive reviews too seriously; "if we did our heads would explode or overinflate", he told Beat.
Augie March returned to the studio in 2004 to record a follow-up to Strange Bird. The band worked with two producers, Paul McKercher and Eric Drew Feldman, and recorded in Melbourne, San Francisco, and their own studio in Nagambie
, Victoria
. Donovan said it was more suited to the band's style; as they co-produced on all their albums, they took a great deal of interest in production. He said it also enabled them to work at their own pace, hence the four-year gap between releases. They released a DVD, Drones & Vapid Ditties
, containing live performances and music videos, in mid 2004. The band's upcoming album, according to Triple J
, was inspired by the streets of Melbourne. Upon completion of the initial recording sessions of Moo, You Bloody Choir
, there was a six-month delay before release, as Augie March meticulously added finishing touches to it. In March 2006, the album was finally released.
Moo, You Bloody Choir saw the band move from receiving only critical acclaim to achieving mainstream success as well. The album spent 21 weeks on the ARIA Albums Chart, peaking at number ten, while lead single "One Crowded Hour
" reached number 29 in its 20-week ARIA Singles Chart stint. The album was certified platinum in Australia. Work by Augie March was nominated for six ARIA Awards in 2006
, including "One Crowded Hour" for "Single of the Year". Despite the hype, the band did not win any further ARIAs. Augie March were still more successful underground than in the mainstream; "One Crowded Hour" topped Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
. The album's popularity also saw it nominated for the 2006 J Award
. A 2008 The Australian
poll ranked "One Crowded Hour" the tenth best Australian song of the past 20 years.
Augie March's musical abilities were recognised when they became the winner of the second annual Australian Music Prize
in 2006 for "the most outstanding and creative Australian album released in the past year". Ammendola told Drum Media
winning the award was more significant than an ARIA Award, as "it's an award that's nominated on the grounds of music, and the art of it - not necessarily record sales". The band used the A$25,000 prize money to help fund a US tour. Richards later said that the band had no great expectations of breakthrough through in the US, and that if their second attempt was not successful, they would not try again.
In August 2007, Moo, You Bloody Choir was released in the United States on the Jive Zomba
record label. In the lead-up to its release, Augie March toured regularly, playing in Los Angeles and New York in May. The shows continued following the album's release, as Augie March were praised by US media. Pitchfork Media
called it a "crime" that the band had not broken through in North America earlier, though Allmusic remarked that Strange Bird was a higher quality album than its follow-up.
Despite the success of Moo, You Bloody Choir, much of Augie March's post-album touring involved supporting other bands. They played shows supporting The Aliens
and Andrew Bird
in the United States, before returning to Australia to open for Crowded House
. Richards said the band's status as an opening act, rather than headlining their own shows, was something they saw as a challenge—their intention was to win over fans who came to see the main act. However, he called the tour with The Aliens depressing; the bands played very different types of music, and the attendance at shows was small. Augie March later earned a prime slot at the 2008 Big Day Out
.
The success of Moo, You Bloody Choir saw Richards expected by record label Sony BMG to produce a quality follow-up. He denied being under significant pressure, though the persistence of the label—"Richo, have you got a single? Do you have singles? Please, do you have singles?"—was noted. Much of the writing for Augie March's fourth album took place while touring the United States, which Richards argued minimised the band's opportunities to be creative. In 2008, Augie March began recording Watch Me Disappear
at Neil Finn
's Auckland
studios; they also recorded in Melbourne, Sydney, and Los Angeles. The band worked primarily in New Zealand to get away from the distraction of Melbourne, their hometown, thus allowing them to focus solely on recording.
Augie March worked with producer Joe Chicarelli
, who took a significant pay cut to work on the album after declaring an interest in Augie March's music. According to Richards, the production of Watch Me Disappear was a process that contained "a fair bit of friction". Ammendola was critical of Chicarelli's style of production and the short amount of time spent in the studio. The recording process also took its toll on the relationships in the band. Ammendola has said that "It tore us to bits. It was really really shit, we’re slowly patching up now."
After placing the album's title track on their website for free downloading, Augie March announced their first "proper headline tour of their homeland", in which they would play music from the new album. The album was released in October 2008. Watch Me Disappears reception was more mixed than that of its predecessors. Patrick Donovan of The Age
said, "[Y]ou get the feeling that Watch Me Disappear will please more than just their mates and old fans", but Bernard Zuel wrote in the The Sydney Morning Herald that it was "an album that no doubt will polarise fans". Watch Me Disappear entered the ARIA Albums Chart at number four.
Augie March played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
on 14 March 2009 for Sound Relief
, a multi-venue rock music concert in support of relief for the Victorian Bushfire Crisis
. The event was held simultaneously with a concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. All the proceeds from the Melbourne concert went to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire relief. Appearing with Augie March in Melbourne were, Bliss N Eso
with Paris Wells, Gabriella Cilmi
, Hunters & Collectors
, Kasey Chambers
& Shane Nicholson with Troy Cassar-Daley
, Jack Johnson
, Jet
, Kings Of Leon
, Liam Finn
, Midnight Oil
, Paul Kelly
, Split Enz
and Wolfmother
.
In July 2009, "One Crowded Hour" was voted number 59 by the Australian public in Triple J Hottest 100 of all time
. That same month, the band headed out on what was dubbed the "Watch Me Set My Strange Sun You Bloody Choir" tour which saw them play every capital city and many regional areas, giving each of their four albums an equal showing.
As of December 2009, the band are taking a multi-year hiatus. Glenn Richards released Glinjack, his first solo album, in 2010.
/pop rock
genre, their ability to mix other genres into their style at times makes classifying their musical style difficult. A common thread that runs through the band's sound is Richards' literate and often verbose lyrics, which have set the band apart from much of the rest of the Australian music scene. Even early on in their career, Richards' unique style attracted attention and he has drawn critical acclaim for his poetic style., with one reviewer describing him as "unique", "refreshing", and "intellectual". Allmusic's Jack Rabid said Richards "exhibits a honey voice" on Sunset Studies, but Grok pointed out that the album was rendered too complex or intricate for many.
Richards' passion for poetry and literary studies again stood out on Strange Bird. John D. Luerssen of Rolling Stone
said "poetry aficionado Richards puts his own literary stamp" on the album, and James Christopher Monger of Allmusic said the album contained "pastoral beauty, labyrinthine arrangements, and breathtaking prose". Pitchfork Media
's Joe Tangari described the album as "so stuffed with ideas and instruments that it's wont to rupture from time to time". This was both a positive and negative criticism; Tangari complained that at times "there is a surplus of sound", but also said that the combination of the first two tracks—"The Vineyard" ("slow beauty") and "This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers" ("a wailing rockabilly psych raver")—was an excellent set-up. Derek Miller of Stylus Magazine
called the opening trio—the third song being the "simple acoustic guitar and arcing piano" of "Little Wonder"—bewildering, and that the album remained consistently as such throughout. PopMatters
' Zeth Lundy described Richards' wordplay as frenzied, and said the "refined, worldly wit" on Strange Bird was striking.
Where Strange Bird was brimming with musical content, on Moo, You Bloody Choir Augie March were more simplified, while still maintaining some of the critically acclaimed aspects of their music. Ammendola considered their third album, led by "One Crowded Hour", to be significantly different to their previous releases. Chad Grischow of IGN
wrote of "lush, mesmerizing music meld with gorgeous melodies brought to life by Richards' rich vocals that wrap themselves around each instrument". In The Sydney Morning Herald
, Bernard Zuel argued the album was more subdued; "the tempos and the arrangements are a little quieter and simpler". Richards' lyrics, however, still drew praise; "he writes with a 19th-century novelist's ear and a Dylanesque tongue". Miller of Stylus also touched on the fact that "Moo is as direct a shot as you'll ever get at Augie March", but that it was nonetheless a "refining and continuation" of the band's work thus far. Shirley Halperin, writing for Entertainment Weekly
, said the album featured "smooth, emotive vocals mingle with soaring melodies that'd make Paul McCartney
proud". Dan Raper of PopMatters said the lyrics to "One Crowded Hour" were poetic, citing the lines "Well put me in a cage full of lions / I'll learn to speak lion / In fact I know the language well", as well as the "full and glorious" chorus;
Watch Me Disappear was Augie March's most mainstream pop work to date, described as a further distillation of the band's earlier, even more complex, music. Richards considered it to be more streamlined than their early work, despite their attempts to maintain a sense of spontaneity. Zuel also noted a removal of much of the backing instrumentation which had acted as "clutter" around Richards' vocals on earlier work. Scott Podmore wrote in the Herald Sun
that the album did not have a standout song or an instant appeal but that it was "a slow burner that takes time to get to know you, but once it does, it's a friend for good". Triple J
reviewer Jenny Valentish argued that multiple songs from the album could take the place of "One Crowded Hour" as "likely to become wailed for and misquoted at festivals". She noted a "commercial potential" for the album, despite its more disconcerting and confrontational content.
to the rest of the band members who then collaborate with him to develop the music. Kathy McCabe of The Daily Telegraph
suggests "almost every songwriter in Australia has name-checked [Richards] as one of the finest tunesmiths of his generation" and that "Richards is a storyteller who is spoken of in reverential terms by peers". Richards simply states that he enjoys "dabbling with words", and that people often appreciate him doing so. Despite this, Richards rejects the "literary" reputation he believes the band have gained. At the 2006 ARIA Awards
, Midnight Oil
's Rob Hirst
called for more political songs; Richards told Simon Collins of The West Australian
he saw great risk in writing political music, and would rather write music that rung true, so that "I can sing the song a thousand times after it's been written". Richards asserts he preferred to draw on everyday experiences than on literary influences. He also says that some of the music he writes is intentionally confusing.
The band, and especially Richards, are noted for their perfectionism. In a post-Sunset Studies interview with Grok magazine in 2000, Williams criticised the song "The Good Gardener (On How He Fell)", to which the interviewer noted "the Augie March perfectionism ... a slavish, romantic, almost passionate pursuit". This meme
continued throughout Augie March's career; following the release of Moo, You Bloody Choir, Richards said he was not truly happy with anything he had produced so far. Ammendola agreed, and added that the band considered Moo, You Bloody Choir the weakest of their first three albums, and Sunset Studies the best. Richards later stated that he considered Watch Me Disappear his best album yet. Andrew Murfett wrote in The Age
that for Augie March, "creative tension, adverse circumstances and perfectionism seem to go hand in hand". Whereas Augie March's first two albums saw Richards maintain control over production, Moo, You Bloody Choir and Watch Me Disappear "became community projects", and for that reason Richards declared he was not as much a fan of the latter works, though other band members have described the songs on Watch Me Disappear as the band's best yet.
Augie March's live performances
have been highly criticised for supposedly failing to live up to the quality of their recorded work. Interruptions are common; at a 2000 concert following the release of Sunset Studies, Richards rhetorically asked the audience "what's an Augie gig without glitches?", and Inpress Jayson Argall described a 2001 performance as "absolutely captivating one moment, utterly frustrating the next", pointing to numerous instances of Richards halting the show due to minor nigglings. Richards will sometimes refuse to play songs popular with fans; in 2007 Williams told Beat Richards no longer played "Asleep in Perfection" as "Glenn cannot fathom to sing the words that he wrote back then ... he's moved on from that place". He is also reluctant to play "One Crowded Hour", having "played that song in every possible format and so many times it's just a ridiculous joke". Richards once forgot the song's lyrics during a live performance at Federation Square
.
A 2002 live review quoted an overwhelmed Richards as telling his audience "I don't have anything to say tonight, there's too many of you". Another 2002 live review, however, stated that "the band seemed both at ease and happy to be back" when playing one of their first post-Strange Bird concerts. dB magazines Steven Hocking, in a review of the band's 2004 Drones & Vapid Ditties
live DVD, said the band are "either unable or unwilling to engage the large audience", and that they were "just not very visually engaging" live, when compared to the sound of their albums. Performances post-Moo, You Bloody Choir have earned more positive remarks, however, as Richards has focused on improving his stage presence. David Fricke
of Rolling Stone lauded an Augie March concert he saw in New York, which assisted the band in making inroads in the United States.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
/pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band. Formed in 1996 in Shepparton
Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, the band currently consists of vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist Glenn Richards
Glenn Richards
Glenn Anthony Richards is the mainstay guitarist singer-songwriter for the Australian rock band Augie March.-Early years:Richards was born in Shepparton, Victoria...
, lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Adam Donovan
Adam Donovan
Adam Donovan comes from Shepparton, Victoria, and is one of the original members in the Australian band, Augie March. He attended St Brendans Primary school Shepparton and Notre Dame High school, Shepparton....
, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Edmondo Ammendola, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
David Williams, and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Kiernan Box. Box replaced Rob Dawson, the band's initial piano player, who died in 2001.
Augie March's rise to fame was slow; their first two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s failed to make an impact on the market, despite Waltz
Waltz (EP)
Waltz is an EP released by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released in 1999. It includes the first appearance of the band's early hit "Asleep In Perfection". A music video was also issued for the closing track, "The Moth Ball"....
being nominated for two ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
. Their first album, Sunset Studies
Sunset Studies
Sunset Studies is the first studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released in 2000 in Australia by BMG.-Track listing:# "The Hole In Your Roof" – 7:12# "Maroondah Reservoir" – 5:05# "There Is No Such Place" – 3:17...
, was released in 2000. Despite poor sales, it was critically acclaimed and received an ARIA Award nomination. Critics in both Australia and the United States also lauded its 2002 successor, Strange Bird
Strange Bird
Strange Bird is the second studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released on 14 October 2002 in Australia by BMG and was re-released in the United States on 14 September 2004 by spinART....
, but it sold and charted poorly in both countries. Augie March's third album, Moo, You Bloody Choir
Moo, You Bloody Choir
Moo, You Bloody Choir is the third studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released in 2006 in Australia by BMG. It entered the ARIA album charts at #10 and was nominated for Album of the Year at the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, losing to Tea & Sympathy by Bernard Fanning...
(2006), received a much better reception in terms of sales; its lead single "One Crowded Hour
One Crowded Hour
"One Crowded Hour" is a song by Australian rock band Augie March, written by Glenn Richards. The song is the first single released from their 2006 studio album, Moo, You Bloody Choir...
" attained critical acclaim and appeared on the ARIA Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number 29, while the album was nominated for numerous ARIA Awards and won an Australian Music Prize
Australian Music Prize
The Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award made by Australian Music Prize Ltd, a sole-purpose entity sponsored by a variety of music industry figures and...
. Having achieved mainstream success, the band toured Australia and the United States regularly through 2006 and 2007. In 2008 they released their fourth album, Watch Me Disappear
Watch Me Disappear
Watch Me Disappear is the fourth studio album from Australian indie rock group Augie March. The album was released on 10 October 2008. The album's title track was made available for download on the band's website on 26 August 2008. Augie March recorded Watch Me Disappear at Neil Finn's Auckland...
. It became their most commercially successful album, but received the least favourable critical reception.
Augie March's distinctive musical style is directed by songwriter and vocalist Richards. His lyrics often draw critical acclaim for their poetic style. The band's music is generally described as intricate, lush, and dense, acting as a backdrop for Richards' complex and poetic vocals.
Formation and early EPs (1996–1999)
Glenn RichardsGlenn Richards
Glenn Anthony Richards is the mainstay guitarist singer-songwriter for the Australian rock band Augie March.-Early years:Richards was born in Shepparton, Victoria...
, Adam Donovan
Adam Donovan
Adam Donovan comes from Shepparton, Victoria, and is one of the original members in the Australian band, Augie March. He attended St Brendans Primary school Shepparton and Notre Dame High school, Shepparton....
and David Williams grew up and attended school in Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...
. Richards began writing songs while studying English at university in 1996. He invited Donovan and Williams, who had been studying music at the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE
Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE
Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE is a TAFE institute located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It has six city campuses located at Preston, Collingwood, Epping, Fairfield, Greensborough, Heidelberg, a country campus at Ararat, and country training facilities at Eden...
, to join him; they in turn asked classmate Edmondo Ammendola to join in. The band took their name from the 1954 novel The Adventures of Augie March
The Adventures of Augie March
The Adventures of Augie March is a novel by Saul Bellow.It centers on the eponymous character who grows up during the Great Depression...
by Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts...
, citing its poetic, complex prose as a reflection of Richards' vocals.
Augie March's first performance was in Brunswick
Brunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
at a friend's art exhibition. After playing several other gigs, the band were signed by record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Ra Records (a RooArt
RooArt
rooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews, The Hummingbirds, The Trilobites and Amanda Brown...
subsidiary distributed by BMG), at the time considered to be prestigious. Augie March's first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Thanks for the Memes, was produced by Victor Van Vugt
Victor Van Vugt
Victor Van Vugt is an award-winning music producer, mixer and engineer. An Australian based in New York, he has had a long association with the careers of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Beth Orton. He has also worked with the likes of P.J...
and released in early 1998. Despite very positive reviews it received very little airplay. Williams later remarked that he was surprised the band had been able to find a producer considering the obscure music on the EP, which at the time the band had considered "hip and cool, and intellectual".
Augie March followed up with their second EP, Waltz
Waltz (EP)
Waltz is an EP released by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released in 1999. It includes the first appearance of the band's early hit "Asleep In Perfection". A music video was also issued for the closing track, "The Moth Ball"....
, in October 1998. Produced by Richard Pleasance, the EP included "Asleep in Perfection", which became the most requested song on ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
program. The song was nominated for "Breakthrough Artist - Single", and Pleasance for "Producer of the Year", at the 2000 ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
. The band began touring around Australia, getting as far as Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and their popularity increased through word of mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
. BMG offered Augie March a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
, which they accepted.
Early albums (2000–2003)
Augie March went into the studio in March 2000 to begin work on their first full length album. Rob Dawson, a long time friend of Richards, joined the band on keyboard and piano. The band worked in nine different studios with six different engineers over the course of six months. In July 2000, prior to the album's completion, they released their first single, "Hole in Your Roof". In October 2000, Augie March released Sunset StudiesSunset Studies
Sunset Studies is the first studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released in 2000 in Australia by BMG.-Track listing:# "The Hole In Your Roof" – 7:12# "Maroondah Reservoir" – 5:05# "There Is No Such Place" – 3:17...
. Album launches in Sydney and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
were attempted, but were unsuccessful as both cities were very crowded with musicians at the time; Donovan said "it seemed like every band in the country was doing a tour then and we couldn't get any venues". Thus, they played a small tour along Australia's east coast
Eastern states of Australia
In Australia, the term eastern states refers to the states adjoining the east coast of Australia. These are the mainland states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory, while not states, are also included. The term usually includes the...
. The album did not chart well; it spent one week on the ARIA Albums Chart at number 35.
Sunset Studies critical reception, however, was very positive; Noel Mengel of The Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail is a daily newspaper published in Brisbane, Australia. Owned by News Limited, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie, in Brisbane's...
said that on the album, "songs of quiet reflection, starkly beautiful melodies and intimate poetry collide on the canvas without a thought to sales graphs or what radio program directors might think", while Allmusic's Jack Rabid told American readers "it's worth the effort to track down [the album], particularly for those who think there are no more musical craftsmen out there". The album's production earned it the 2001 ARIA Award
ARIA Music Awards of 2001
The 15th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 30 October 2001 at the Capitol Theatre.-Awards:...
for "Engineer of the Year", as well as nominations for "Producer of the Year", "Breakthrough Artist - Album" and "Best Cover Art". Of the album's six engineers, Paul McKercher, Chris Thompson, Richard Pleasance, and Chris Dickie were credited with the ARIA Award for best engineer. McKercher and Pleasance, as well as the band, were named producers. Of the singles released from the album, "There Is No Such Place" was the most popular, charting at number 47 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2001
Triple J Hottest 100, 2001
The 2001 Triple J Hottest 100, announced in January 2002, was the ninth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J...
.
Preparations for a follow-up to Sunset Studies were thrown into disarray on 2 January 2001 when Dawson died in a car crash. The event had a significant impact on the band and especially on Richards as he wrote their next album. However, the resulting work was not mournful; Richards described it as optimistic and humorous. To replace Dawson, Melbournian Kiernan Box joined the band as a keyboardist. The band produced Strange Bird
Strange Bird
Strange Bird is the second studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released on 14 October 2002 in Australia by BMG and was re-released in the United States on 14 September 2004 by spinART....
independently; Donovan said this worked to their advantage as they felt more comfortable in their own studio, and that as a result Strange Bird was a better album than Sunset Studies, though the band's debut album was "probably received better by our fans". In response to complaints concerning Richards' Sunset Studies wordplay, Augie March included a lyrics booklet with Strange Bird.
Strange Bird was released by BMG as the band's second studio album in October 2002. It was also released by spinART Records
SpinART Records
spinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn....
in the UK in that month. It was re-released in the United States in September 2004. Like its predecessor, Strange Bird failed to make an impact on the charts, spending one week on the ARIA Albums Chart at number 34. Its first single, "The Vineyard", spent one week on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 31. Augie March began touring around Australia almost immediately following the album's release.
The critical response to Strange Bird, unlike its brief chart history, was overwhelmingly positive. The enthusiastic response even caught the band by surprise; Williams told Rip It Up "I could see a few holes in the album and I'd say, 'how come no one else has picked this up?'" Reviewers, however, focused on the positives; Guy Garvey of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
said "My favourite of the year is Augie March's Strange Bird", while David Fricke
David Fricke
David Fricke is a senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly on rock music. In the 1990s, he was managing editor before stepping down.-Background:David Fricke is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
wrote in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
of "luxuriant melees of chiming guitars, mountain-stream voices and keyboard grandeur". Donovan said the band found it hard to take the positive reviews too seriously; "if we did our heads would explode or overinflate", he told Beat.
Mainstream breakthrough (2004–2009)
Nagambie, Victoria
Nagambie is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of Seymour, in the Shire of Strathbogie. At the 2006 census, Nagambie had a population of 1,383.-History:...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. Donovan said it was more suited to the band's style; as they co-produced on all their albums, they took a great deal of interest in production. He said it also enabled them to work at their own pace, hence the four-year gap between releases. They released a DVD, Drones & Vapid Ditties
Drones & Vapid Ditties
Drones & Vapid Ditties is a music DVD by Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released on 6 September 2004 by BMG Australia. The initials of the words "Drones & Vapid Ditties" spell out the letters "DVD"...
, containing live performances and music videos, in mid 2004. The band's upcoming album, according to Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, was inspired by the streets of Melbourne. Upon completion of the initial recording sessions of Moo, You Bloody Choir
Moo, You Bloody Choir
Moo, You Bloody Choir is the third studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released in 2006 in Australia by BMG. It entered the ARIA album charts at #10 and was nominated for Album of the Year at the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, losing to Tea & Sympathy by Bernard Fanning...
, there was a six-month delay before release, as Augie March meticulously added finishing touches to it. In March 2006, the album was finally released.
Moo, You Bloody Choir saw the band move from receiving only critical acclaim to achieving mainstream success as well. The album spent 21 weeks on the ARIA Albums Chart, peaking at number ten, while lead single "One Crowded Hour
One Crowded Hour
"One Crowded Hour" is a song by Australian rock band Augie March, written by Glenn Richards. The song is the first single released from their 2006 studio album, Moo, You Bloody Choir...
" reached number 29 in its 20-week ARIA Singles Chart stint. The album was certified platinum in Australia. Work by Augie March was nominated for six ARIA Awards in 2006
ARIA Music Awards of 2006
The 20th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex...
, including "One Crowded Hour" for "Single of the Year". Despite the hype, the band did not win any further ARIAs. Augie March were still more successful underground than in the mainstream; "One Crowded Hour" topped Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
The 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2007. It is the fourteenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as voted by listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
. The album's popularity also saw it nominated for the 2006 J Award
J Award
The J Award is an award given by influential Australian youth radio station Triple J to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by a panel of members of the music industry, led by Richard Kingsmill...
. A 2008 The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
poll ranked "One Crowded Hour" the tenth best Australian song of the past 20 years.
Australian Music Prize
The Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award made by Australian Music Prize Ltd, a sole-purpose entity sponsored by a variety of music industry figures and...
in 2006 for "the most outstanding and creative Australian album released in the past year". Ammendola told Drum Media
Drum Media
Drum Media is a free weekly tabloid-sized music and lifestyle magazine established in 1990 and based in Sydney, Australia. It is distributed throughout Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and Canberra, and surrounding districts. A separate weekly issue began circulating in Perth in September 2006. The...
winning the award was more significant than an ARIA Award, as "it's an award that's nominated on the grounds of music, and the art of it - not necessarily record sales". The band used the A$25,000 prize money to help fund a US tour. Richards later said that the band had no great expectations of breakthrough through in the US, and that if their second attempt was not successful, they would not try again.
In August 2007, Moo, You Bloody Choir was released in the United States on the Jive Zomba
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
record label. In the lead-up to its release, Augie March toured regularly, playing in Los Angeles and New York in May. The shows continued following the album's release, as Augie March were praised by US media. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
called it a "crime" that the band had not broken through in North America earlier, though Allmusic remarked that Strange Bird was a higher quality album than its follow-up.
Despite the success of Moo, You Bloody Choir, much of Augie March's post-album touring involved supporting other bands. They played shows supporting The Aliens
The Aliens
The Aliens are a Scottish band consisting of former Beta Band members Gordon Anderson , John Maclean and Robin Jones...
and Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.- Early life and the Bowl of Fire :...
in the United States, before returning to Australia to open for Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
. Richards said the band's status as an opening act, rather than headlining their own shows, was something they saw as a challenge—their intention was to win over fans who came to see the main act. However, he called the tour with The Aliens depressing; the bands played very different types of music, and the attendance at shows was small. Augie March later earned a prime slot at the 2008 Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
.
The success of Moo, You Bloody Choir saw Richards expected by record label Sony BMG to produce a quality follow-up. He denied being under significant pressure, though the persistence of the label—"Richo, have you got a single? Do you have singles? Please, do you have singles?"—was noted. Much of the writing for Augie March's fourth album took place while touring the United States, which Richards argued minimised the band's opportunities to be creative. In 2008, Augie March began recording Watch Me Disappear
Watch Me Disappear
Watch Me Disappear is the fourth studio album from Australian indie rock group Augie March. The album was released on 10 October 2008. The album's title track was made available for download on the band's website on 26 August 2008. Augie March recorded Watch Me Disappear at Neil Finn's Auckland...
at Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
's Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
studios; they also recorded in Melbourne, Sydney, and Los Angeles. The band worked primarily in New Zealand to get away from the distraction of Melbourne, their hometown, thus allowing them to focus solely on recording.
Augie March worked with producer Joe Chicarelli
Joe Chicarelli
Joe Chiccarelli is an American music producer, mixer and engineer who has been active since early '80's. He has produced albums by Stan Ridgway, Oingo Boingo, Sandra Bernhard, My Morning Jacket, Counting Crows, The Shins, Augie March, Manchester Orchestra, Minus the Bear, Kurt Elling, Big Talk...
, who took a significant pay cut to work on the album after declaring an interest in Augie March's music. According to Richards, the production of Watch Me Disappear was a process that contained "a fair bit of friction". Ammendola was critical of Chicarelli's style of production and the short amount of time spent in the studio. The recording process also took its toll on the relationships in the band. Ammendola has said that "It tore us to bits. It was really really shit, we’re slowly patching up now."
After placing the album's title track on their website for free downloading, Augie March announced their first "proper headline tour of their homeland", in which they would play music from the new album. The album was released in October 2008. Watch Me Disappears reception was more mixed than that of its predecessors. Patrick Donovan of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
said, "[Y]ou get the feeling that Watch Me Disappear will please more than just their mates and old fans", but Bernard Zuel wrote in the The Sydney Morning Herald that it was "an album that no doubt will polarise fans". Watch Me Disappear entered the ARIA Albums Chart at number four.
Augie March played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
on 14 March 2009 for Sound Relief
Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009...
, a multi-venue rock music concert in support of relief for the Victorian Bushfire Crisis
February 2009 Victorian bushfires
The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009...
. The event was held simultaneously with a concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. All the proceeds from the Melbourne concert went to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire relief. Appearing with Augie March in Melbourne were, Bliss N Eso
Bliss n Eso
Bliss n Eso are an ARIA Award-winning Australian hip hop band based in Sydney, and were originally known as Bliss N' Esoterikizm for their debut EP The Arrival...
with Paris Wells, Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Lucia Cilmi is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist....
, Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
, Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers is an Australian country singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of steel guitar player Bill Chambers, and the sister of musician and producer Nash Chambers.-Solo success:...
& Shane Nicholson with Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley is a multi-award-winning country musician from New South Wales, Australia.He released his first EP, "Dream Out Loud", in 1994 and was nominated for his first Golden Guitar for Best Male Vocalist the same year...
, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
, Jet
Jet (band)
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively...
, Kings Of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
, Liam Finn
Liam Finn
Liam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. Born in Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child...
, Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
, Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
, Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
and Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
.
In July 2009, "One Crowded Hour" was voted number 59 by the Australian public in Triple J Hottest 100 of all time
Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 2009
The Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time was a music poll conducted in 2009 amongst listeners of Australian youth radio network Triple J. Over half a million votes were compiled, with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" collecting the highest number of votes. Voters could submit a list of up to ten...
. That same month, the band headed out on what was dubbed the "Watch Me Set My Strange Sun You Bloody Choir" tour which saw them play every capital city and many regional areas, giving each of their four albums an equal showing.
As of December 2009, the band are taking a multi-year hiatus. Glenn Richards released Glinjack, his first solo album, in 2010.
Musical style
While Augie March generally fall into an indieIndie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
/pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
genre, their ability to mix other genres into their style at times makes classifying their musical style difficult. A common thread that runs through the band's sound is Richards' literate and often verbose lyrics, which have set the band apart from much of the rest of the Australian music scene. Even early on in their career, Richards' unique style attracted attention and he has drawn critical acclaim for his poetic style., with one reviewer describing him as "unique", "refreshing", and "intellectual". Allmusic's Jack Rabid said Richards "exhibits a honey voice" on Sunset Studies, but Grok pointed out that the album was rendered too complex or intricate for many.
Richards' passion for poetry and literary studies again stood out on Strange Bird. John D. Luerssen of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said "poetry aficionado Richards puts his own literary stamp" on the album, and James Christopher Monger of Allmusic said the album contained "pastoral beauty, labyrinthine arrangements, and breathtaking prose". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Joe Tangari described the album as "so stuffed with ideas and instruments that it's wont to rupture from time to time". This was both a positive and negative criticism; Tangari complained that at times "there is a surplus of sound", but also said that the combination of the first two tracks—"The Vineyard" ("slow beauty") and "This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers" ("a wailing rockabilly psych raver")—was an excellent set-up. Derek Miller of Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
called the opening trio—the third song being the "simple acoustic guitar and arcing piano" of "Little Wonder"—bewildering, and that the album remained consistently as such throughout. PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
' Zeth Lundy described Richards' wordplay as frenzied, and said the "refined, worldly wit" on Strange Bird was striking.
Where Strange Bird was brimming with musical content, on Moo, You Bloody Choir Augie March were more simplified, while still maintaining some of the critically acclaimed aspects of their music. Ammendola considered their third album, led by "One Crowded Hour", to be significantly different to their previous releases. Chad Grischow of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
wrote of "lush, mesmerizing music meld with gorgeous melodies brought to life by Richards' rich vocals that wrap themselves around each instrument". In The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, Bernard Zuel argued the album was more subdued; "the tempos and the arrangements are a little quieter and simpler". Richards' lyrics, however, still drew praise; "he writes with a 19th-century novelist's ear and a Dylanesque tongue". Miller of Stylus also touched on the fact that "Moo is as direct a shot as you'll ever get at Augie March", but that it was nonetheless a "refining and continuation" of the band's work thus far. Shirley Halperin, writing for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, said the album featured "smooth, emotive vocals mingle with soaring melodies that'd make Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
proud". Dan Raper of PopMatters said the lyrics to "One Crowded Hour" were poetic, citing the lines "Well put me in a cage full of lions / I'll learn to speak lion / In fact I know the language well", as well as the "full and glorious" chorus;
Watch Me Disappear was Augie March's most mainstream pop work to date, described as a further distillation of the band's earlier, even more complex, music. Richards considered it to be more streamlined than their early work, despite their attempts to maintain a sense of spontaneity. Zuel also noted a removal of much of the backing instrumentation which had acted as "clutter" around Richards' vocals on earlier work. Scott Podmore wrote in the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
that the album did not have a standout song or an instant appeal but that it was "a slow burner that takes time to get to know you, but once it does, it's a friend for good". Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
reviewer Jenny Valentish argued that multiple songs from the album could take the place of "One Crowded Hour" as "likely to become wailed for and misquoted at festivals". She noted a "commercial potential" for the album, despite its more disconcerting and confrontational content.
Glenn Richards thinks of language like a patient high on nitrous oxide thinks of laughing. He delights in its possibilities, its connotations, its kaleidoscopic permutations, its violent convulsions.—Zeth Lundy, PopMatters
PopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
In a review of Strange BirdStrange BirdStrange Bird is the second studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released on 14 October 2002 in Australia by BMG and was re-released in the United States on 14 September 2004 by spinART....
.
Songwriting
Songwriting for Augie March is primarily initiated by Richards; he delivers demosDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to the rest of the band members who then collaborate with him to develop the music. Kathy McCabe of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
suggests "almost every songwriter in Australia has name-checked [Richards] as one of the finest tunesmiths of his generation" and that "Richards is a storyteller who is spoken of in reverential terms by peers". Richards simply states that he enjoys "dabbling with words", and that people often appreciate him doing so. Despite this, Richards rejects the "literary" reputation he believes the band have gained. At the 2006 ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards of 2006
The 20th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex...
, Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
's Rob Hirst
Rob Hirst
-External links:*******...
called for more political songs; Richards told Simon Collins of The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
he saw great risk in writing political music, and would rather write music that rung true, so that "I can sing the song a thousand times after it's been written". Richards asserts he preferred to draw on everyday experiences than on literary influences. He also says that some of the music he writes is intentionally confusing.
The band, and especially Richards, are noted for their perfectionism. In a post-Sunset Studies interview with Grok magazine in 2000, Williams criticised the song "The Good Gardener (On How He Fell)", to which the interviewer noted "the Augie March perfectionism ... a slavish, romantic, almost passionate pursuit". This meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
continued throughout Augie March's career; following the release of Moo, You Bloody Choir, Richards said he was not truly happy with anything he had produced so far. Ammendola agreed, and added that the band considered Moo, You Bloody Choir the weakest of their first three albums, and Sunset Studies the best. Richards later stated that he considered Watch Me Disappear his best album yet. Andrew Murfett wrote in The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
that for Augie March, "creative tension, adverse circumstances and perfectionism seem to go hand in hand". Whereas Augie March's first two albums saw Richards maintain control over production, Moo, You Bloody Choir and Watch Me Disappear "became community projects", and for that reason Richards declared he was not as much a fan of the latter works, though other band members have described the songs on Watch Me Disappear as the band's best yet.
Live concerts
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
have been highly criticised for supposedly failing to live up to the quality of their recorded work. Interruptions are common; at a 2000 concert following the release of Sunset Studies, Richards rhetorically asked the audience "what's an Augie gig without glitches?", and Inpress Jayson Argall described a 2001 performance as "absolutely captivating one moment, utterly frustrating the next", pointing to numerous instances of Richards halting the show due to minor nigglings. Richards will sometimes refuse to play songs popular with fans; in 2007 Williams told Beat Richards no longer played "Asleep in Perfection" as "Glenn cannot fathom to sing the words that he wrote back then ... he's moved on from that place". He is also reluctant to play "One Crowded Hour", having "played that song in every possible format and so many times it's just a ridiculous joke". Richards once forgot the song's lyrics during a live performance at Federation Square
Federation Square
Federation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
A 2002 live review quoted an overwhelmed Richards as telling his audience "I don't have anything to say tonight, there's too many of you". Another 2002 live review, however, stated that "the band seemed both at ease and happy to be back" when playing one of their first post-Strange Bird concerts. dB magazines Steven Hocking, in a review of the band's 2004 Drones & Vapid Ditties
Drones & Vapid Ditties
Drones & Vapid Ditties is a music DVD by Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released on 6 September 2004 by BMG Australia. The initials of the words "Drones & Vapid Ditties" spell out the letters "DVD"...
live DVD, said the band are "either unable or unwilling to engage the large audience", and that they were "just not very visually engaging" live, when compared to the sound of their albums. Performances post-Moo, You Bloody Choir have earned more positive remarks, however, as Richards has focused on improving his stage presence. David Fricke
David Fricke
David Fricke is a senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly on rock music. In the 1990s, he was managing editor before stepping down.-Background:David Fricke is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
of Rolling Stone lauded an Augie March concert he saw in New York, which assisted the band in making inroads in the United States.
Studio albums
- Sunset StudiesSunset StudiesSunset Studies is the first studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released in 2000 in Australia by BMG.-Track listing:# "The Hole In Your Roof" – 7:12# "Maroondah Reservoir" – 5:05# "There Is No Such Place" – 3:17...
- BMG (2000) AUS #35 - Strange BirdStrange BirdStrange Bird is the second studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released on 14 October 2002 in Australia by BMG and was re-released in the United States on 14 September 2004 by spinART....
- BMG (2002) AUS #34 - Moo, You Bloody ChoirMoo, You Bloody ChoirMoo, You Bloody Choir is the third studio album by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was released in 2006 in Australia by BMG. It entered the ARIA album charts at #10 and was nominated for Album of the Year at the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, losing to Tea & Sympathy by Bernard Fanning...
- Sony BMGSony BMG AustraliaSony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by Sony Music Entertainment in Australia.-Current Sony Music Australia Artists:*Adam Harvey*Amy Meredith*Andrew O'Keefe*Altiyan Childs...
(2006) AUS #10 - Watch Me DisappearWatch Me DisappearWatch Me Disappear is the fourth studio album from Australian indie rock group Augie March. The album was released on 10 October 2008. The album's title track was made available for download on the band's website on 26 August 2008. Augie March recorded Watch Me Disappear at Neil Finn's Auckland...
Sony BMG (2008) AUS #4
Singles/EPs
- Thanks for the Memes - Ra Records (1998)
- WaltzWaltz (EP)Waltz is an EP released by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released in 1999. It includes the first appearance of the band's early hit "Asleep In Perfection". A music video was also issued for the closing track, "The Moth Ball"....
- Ra Records (1999) - "The Mothball" (1999)
- "The Hole in Your Roof" - BMG (2000)
- "Heartbeat and Sails" - BMG (2000)
- "There Is No Such Place" - BMG (2001)
- "Here Comes the Night" - BMG (2001)
- "The Vineyard" - BMG (2002) AUS #31
- "Thanks for the Memes" - BMG re-release (2003)
- "Little WonderLittle Wonder (Augie March song)"Little Wonder" is a song by Australian rock band Augie March. The song was the second single off their 2003 studio album Strange Bird and reached number 75 on the ARIA Charts....
" - BMG (2003) - "One Crowded HourOne Crowded Hour"One Crowded Hour" is a song by Australian rock band Augie March, written by Glenn Richards. The song is the first single released from their 2006 studio album, Moo, You Bloody Choir...
" Sony BMG (2006) AUS #29 - "The Cold AcreThe Cold Acre"The Cold Acre" is the second single released from Moo, You Bloody Choir, the third studio album from Australian indie rock band Augie March.-Music video:...
" Sony BMG (2006) - "PennywhistlePennywhistle (Augie March song)"Pennywhistle" is the second track on Watch Me Disappear, the fourth studio album by Australian band Augie March. The song was released digitally on 16 September 2008, with the hard copy released in Australia on 27 September 2008.-Music video:...
" Sony BMG (2008)