NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER
Networking In Purgatory
Dot Dash/Remote Control
Ned Collette has always been true to his musical visions. Having developed a tidy underground following in Australia, he moved to Berlin for a change of scenery. This musical purist laments the age where CDs are only opened once to be ripped into computer files before becoming landfill. Collette has made the decision to make his fifth album, Networking In Purgatory, available only digitally and on vinyl.
Collette isn’t renowned for shiny happy lyrics and Network In Purgatory is no different as he laments the age of the internet and social media where communication is often networking for the sake of it, instead of engaging with people and art in a meaningful way. It sounds as if Collette has immersed himself in Beatles records as songs such as Bird feature classic pop tones and choruses that are hard to shift.
The pop/folk moments are more accessible than ever and the experimental pieces are weirder and more obtuse as Collette and his band push the boundaries like the university music graduates they are. Echoes Toes drones with atmospheric electronics while Collette shows his deeper, almost spoken timbre to highlight he isn’t so easy to define.
Ned Collette isn’t likely to break through the airwaves, but his cerebral approach to music has meant he will continue to garner a loyal following. Networking In Purgatory is an easier listen than former outings.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
