Album Review: Alexisonfire - 'Aussie Tour 7 Inch'

22 December 2010 | 12:26 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Great covers from a great band.

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Those of you who were lucky enough to catch Alexisonfire on their last tour of our fine country in October will know what this little gem is all about and witnessed it in its finest form - live. For those who missed out, this is your consolation prize, the 'Aussie Tour 7 inch,' originally released as a 7 inch record only available at the shows, but now, due to popular demand, accessible by the masses via various on-line outlets.


To celebrate their return down under the much loved Canadian punks decided to perform a couple of classic Australian rock tracks at the shows, giving them the unique Alexis twist. The band also found time to record studio versions of the songs which is what is included here.


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The first song is a cover of Midnight Oil's brilliant Dead Hearts, a fantastic song in its own right however the Alexisonfire version may surpass the original as the better version for most fans. Hearing Dallas Green gently sing the famous "doo doos" at the beginning of the track will send a shiver down your spine as the haunting melody quickly changes to an uplifting punk stomp. The song was well chosen as it gives the bands screamer George Petit plenty of opportunity to shine in the verses as he barks out the lyrics with a gritty grunt.


The second cover is a version of (I'm) Stranded originally by The Saints, a song that has been voted in amongst the top Australian rock songs of all time on countless occasions. Alexisonfire have stripped the song back to an acoustic rendition as part of the Triple J 'Like A Version' series, giving Green the chance to show off his wonderfully smooth vocals in their very well suited acoustic setting, similar to the like of his side project City And Colour.

Both of these songs are a must have for Alexisonfire fans and a great example of how talented this band are as they have done their home work and chosen two iconic Aussie rock songs and given them a unique but respectful twist, just like good covers should.

1. Dead Hearts

2. (I'm) Stranded