The Wisdom Line

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Mon 11 Mar 2019 to Sun 17 Mar 2019

by David Bridie

The Wisdom Line is a storybook from deep within the Australian psyche.

It’s rich with cross platform collaborations weaving brushstrokes from film makers with soundscapes from veteran Melbourne muso David Bridie.

But this is not Bridie’s first time around the watering hole, having delivered 15 albums with his bands Not Drowning, Waving and My Friend the Chocolate Cake, as well as five previous solo efforts.

Hence the proof in the pudding. It’s his strength in storytelling that is on show in The Wisdom Line. The 11 tracks were written to accompany 11 videos/short films shot in Australia, the US and Slovenia. The amount of input and effort to create the project must be extensive - the liner notes list 20 contributors alone.

The themes are varied - home, asylum, human relationships, the disconnection of the interconnected world - shaping the narrative line of wisdom.

The arrangements are confidently sparse, with the themes the given plenty of air to work in with the visuals.

Voice-over narration paints quite the scene in 'Hemdyn Town', transporting you to fictional Aussie outback location, with Bridie’s pump organ setting the atmosphere.

'She’s Upped and Gone' tells the fractured story of a failed relationship from a female’s perspective then an outsider’s. "She wants another lover just to see her through to the end. We’ve seen it all before."

'Permanent Water' brooches the ever-present issue of drought in Central Australia, with a submerged bass line driving the mood.

Check the live performances at screenings this month for full effect.

We all need narrative in our lives.

By Richard Mcleish

The Wisdom Line is available from Bandcamp and other good sources.

David Bridie will play Thornbury Picture House ($25 + bf)), on March 12. and Classic Cinemas Elsternwick ($30 + bf) on March 20.

THIS WEEK'S TOP TRACKS

Hexdebt - 'Loops' (PBS Drive Live)