I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I recently stumbled upon it and had to write something. Oscar Lush is a young singer-songwriter from Australia who released his debut album, The World is Round So I’ll Go Round, back in September.
The bio on his website wastes no time in referencing Dylan and Cash and, while this could be just a little premature, you can certainly hear why. The songwriting is very strong (it came as no surprise to discover he writes poetry in his spare time), each track spinning stories of love and loss and fear and isolation and all those other things that really good art tries to deal with. On ‘A Song For the Lost’ he sings:
What a troubled mind I have taken from these hours.
What a troubled life I have created from this mind.
Those two lines sum things up pretty nicely I think. It’s one of those albums which releases it secrets slowly on multiple listens, an album of exceptional substance for someone so young. And it’s not just the songwriter bit he’s got nailed. Lush’s vocals are actually pretty remarkable for someone in his (very) early twenties, warm and deep and full of the very emotions and experiences he sings about.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/111162926″]
There are a couple of rockier moments (see ‘Started A War’), but for the most part it’s a brooding and meditative affair, often just vocals and either acoustic of electric guitar. There is also violin and cello, as well as harmonica in places, which give some tracks an Americana (Australi-cana?) vibe.
You can buy the album right now over at Lush’s Bandcamp page. I highly suggest you check it out if this sort of music is your thing, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.