Down Under Gothic... or something along those lines.

Lead & background guitars by ScottC
RealTracks : ~1546:Bass, El.Country Sw 085
RealTracks : ~530:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 085
RealTracks :2624 Guitar, BaritoneEl
RealDrums : BluesRock 128
Loops:Bodhran,Didgeridoo



No White Flag
(the Bushrunners Ballad)

in the jawbone of Blue Mountains
a campfire burns low
broken teeth of white gum trees
stand like sentry ghosts

hand me down the grog jug John
their buckshot`s found my bones
I hear black trackers walking
I hear sweet Mary calling me home

night pulls on the hangman`s hood
his eyes the bloodshot stars
noose your rope grind the axe
we spit upon your bars
hold no white flag in the wind
dance upon nothing

from the acorn to the oak, Billy boy
we`re their plough shares bucksaws and brooms
they save us from the gallows
sail us to the moon
strike off these fetters now
we`ll sing God Save The King
far past any road
where chain gang picks don`t ring

night pulls on the hangman`s hood
his eyes are bloodshot stars
noose your rope grind the axe
we spit upon your bars
hold no white flag in the wind
dance upon nothing
no white flag in the wind

© Robert Cordrey May 2018

No White Flag

I pressed play before reading the song description, man, the last thing I expected to hear was a Didgeridoo! Very cool.

Vocal wise this is the best you have ever done IMHO, sounds great. And Scott sounds great too, perfect tone and choice of notes. You guys make a good team!

Excellent writing as always! You never fail to kick things up a notch in the lyric department.

Every so often it sounds like the Didgeridoo is playing a bad note? It seems like something is clashing at times, but maybe my ears are playing tricks on me.

Anyway, a very cool concept, I enjoyed the listen.

Robert / Scott,

This is really excellent! Great arrangement and vocal - love the guitar lines by Scott. The overall vibe is mesmerizing.

It almost sounds like Black Sabbath going folk... Great stuff.

Bob

Robert and Scott,

What a journey! You've got me sitting here thinking and my brain is a melting pot of thoughts right now after listening to your creation.

I found the musical setting of the grumbling, low harmonies very moody and very dramatic. There's no doubt in my mind at all that the intensity of the lyrics was amplified greatly by the choice of musical register. This shows in the vocals, too. It sounds like it was very easy to slip into the story of these lyrics.

As always, Robert, you've managed to find some great word combinations. I love the phrase 'night pulls on the hangman's hood'... it's a deep thought and very ominous in this musical setting!

Scott, your guitar playing gets two thumbs up from me! You settled into and magnified the mood of Roberts writing incredibly well.

All the best to you both,
Noel

Like everything about this.
Mesmerising.
Two thumbs up.

Cheers.

Dave,
The didgeridoo is a sound you feel as much as hear;yes, there`s some odd notes in there. Since there no RT |(nor ever will be!) I found some loops that sort of worked for the atmosphere,if not always the timing or notes.
Thanks for your positive comments - the vocal is a much lower range than my norm, but fun to do.

Robert



Bob,
Thank you, I like that analogy! I was thinking of some of the darker Johnny Cash songs when coming up with the style.
As usual, Scott understood the concept from the outset and brought instant atmosphere.

Robert

Robert,

Very cool tune, with some killer production. Liked everything about it—vocal, lyrics, everything. Haunting mood and emotion emanate from every word and note. I enjoyed my listen very much.

Regards,

Deej

Hello, Robert and Scott

The guitar phrases are very impressive.
I do not really understand English lyrics, but I guessed from the picture on SoundCloud, I felt that this song talked about something very scaring.
Such atmosphere is expressed very well.
Vocal interpretation is also wonderful.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Well, you got me from the very first found that came out of this track! I really wanted to listen to the whole thing!

Now..I have to say that I don’t have the foggiest idea what the song is about! However, I think that is a wonderful thing about songs like this… You are inviting the listener into your world, whatever that happens to be, and you have done an excellent job of opening a door through sound and lyric, for the listener to want to know more about The world you are describing.

As others have said I think that performance is really good, the words are edgy and attention-grabbing, and I really liked the meter that Noel calls “grumbling”..Thanks for posting!

"Thank you, I like that analogy! I was thinking of some of the darker Johnny Cash songs when coming up with the style.
As usual, Scott understood the concept from the outset and brought instant atmosphere."

There's a lot in that quote. The analogy is, indeed, cool. The darker Johny Cash side is most evident. And, yep, Scott brought a lot to the table.

Robert, your productions have escalated to a real pro sound.

I could quote a lot of favorite lines but suffice it say that this is a image rich write that is deserving of multiple listens and reads.

It's been mentioned several times but your choice of key regarding the vocals nailed the whole feel.

Well done!

J&B

Noel,

"Ominous"- I like that! The grumbly sound of the didgeridoo was a cool find and helped me decide on the low register vocal ( a first try at that).
Your comments are very kind and thoughtful- thank you!

Robert



Thanks for that,Rich




Deej,
I get drawn into reading history and am usually drawn to the more harrowing accounts!
Glad you liked this and appreciate your saying so.

Robert

You two should be very proud of this one. I really like the overall feel and groove of this one. Something different but, as usual, an excellent collaboration.

Swampy and moody, but I'm not familiar with the historical specifics.

But as others have said - fantastically poetic lyrics.

Great stuff!

Robert,
a cool combo of sounds and some lovely guitar work on top.
The lyrics paint a great story.
This could fit nicely with the tracks on Nick Cave's Murder Ballads album.

Oh My goodness Robert..
I love listening to your stuff because I never know what I am going to get. Like Forest Gump says "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get". Good one. Enjoyed this very much!

Very interesting song, very unique and clever combination of digeridoo with baritone guitar - like aboriginals and native Americans making a common statement. Reminds also me of Nick Cave. Nice dark mood and lyrics.

Janne

Shigeki,
Thank you for listening and commenting on the positives- you picked up the mood, if not the references and that`s good to know.

Robert



Its a fine line: images or storyline- I lean toward the former, though there are references to time & place in the lyrics those familiar with Oz history will get.
I`m glad you were pulled in to listen and enjoyed that grumbly didgeridoo!

Robert

Thanks so much everyone for checking out the song.

Robert & Scott

Excellent work - very interesting lyric (obscure in part but evocative).
Very nice vocal and some lovely complimentary guitar work.

Peter

J&B,

Good to hear I`m making progress on the production side - thanks for noting that and your approval of the song... gonna get me a black hat and pale rider coat next time I try singing this deep & dark!

Robert



Thanks for your listen and thumbs up Mario!



I appreciate your getting the mood ... I guess the history of Australian bushrangers isn`t on the curriculum anywhere now!
Thanks for your listen.

Robert



Now you got this exactly! I will never be as convincingly dark as Mr Cave ( what was that gut-wrenching film he made about bushrangers - The Proposition?) but enjoyed acting the part for this song.
Yeah, Scott`s guitar work is very cool on this.

Robert

Hey Peter Glad to you liked the song. Was wondering what you thought of two Canadians taking a stab at some dark outback country music :-)

Liked the Blue Mountain(s) reference and the overall sound. Lot's of old Australian folk music has an Irish folk feel (not surprisingly). Thought you Canadians did a good job (we do share a similar heritage).

Peter

Really great sound you guys got with this one.

I love the mix.

The vocal quality is excellent. Very warm and clear. Good job!!

No song should need Cole`s Notes to follow... but if folks can write zillions of words on the forum about stuff like bumping posts, I feel justified in providing a few unnescessary asides for the lyrics here ( which tell a tale 100% fictional , entirely accurate historically, and are based on Robert Hughes excellent book on Australia`s founding, The Fatal Shore).

" grog" booze (usually Rum at that time)
"black trackers" aborigines were far and away the best
"dance upon nothing" British term for hanging- they were public so it was a popular sport to watch the dancers!
"save us from the gallows
to sail us to the moon" - most early tranportees were sentenced to hang, the sentence commuted - a few years to life in Australia, a place as distant as the moon to your average 18th century bread thief.

There... if the song is still a mystery, a better scholar than I will need to get involved.

Robert

I like that, Joanne. Being eclectic works both ways, of course - some folks like to know what`s coming, but I`m having fun and appreciate you checking in to listen.

Robert



Thank you, Janne! I hadn`t thought of that cross cultural feel the guitar adds- I`m glad you liked this.

Robert

Cool song!! Wonderful prosody, and a great musical arrangement....you've set a really strong mood here guys! Really sucks you in! Great job!! Take care. Greg

Peter, David & Greg,
Thanks for your listens and comments- the Canadians are encouraged so no doubt there`s more to come!

Robert

Wow. Ultra-original, hypnotic, an enjoyable and yet chilling listen! Good stuff.

John

Robert & Scott... I agree with everything Bob said. This is an awesome piece of music. VERY original.

An interesting write. A very cool vocal. Cool guitar lines that "fit".

The arrangement is well done. The mix is excellent.

A terrific listen.

fj

That`s appreciated, John- love your work and glad you are posting again.

robert

Floyd,
The mix worked well... once I took the guitarists( Scott`s) advice & changed my original choice for backing tracks.
Thanks for the positive comments.

Robert