Formed in Melbourne in the mid-‘90s, the live Fred Astereo line-up comprised Paulzen (Ruck Rover, ex-Tlot Tlot) on drums and vocals, Karen Morcombe (ex-Exploding Daisies) on guitar and vocals, Andy Bryant (ex-flipside 5) on guitar, and Mark Monnone (The Lucksmiths) on bass. Paulzen and Morcombe’s harmonies were like sunlight on the morning dew, while Bryant’s timeless guitar lines were charming beyond words. Audiences were generally left sore from laughter – Paulzen’s signature irreverence taking no prisoners. However, Fred Astereo (or “The Freds” as they came to be known amongst their few frustrated fans) were certainly no hard working band, subscribing more to the adage practise-makes-boring. Gigs grew rare, recordings even rarer; precious few 4-track rehearsal tapes exist.
By 2004, fed up with the constant derailments, Paulzen decided to fire everyone else in the band and step out on his own. He took his songs to his Ruck Rover bass-playing pal Mikey Allen’s studio and made I Love You. The result is a beautifully mystifying album full of ukulele, optigon, piano, and plenty of the aforementioned lyrical left-turns. A confounding album that maybe sits more comfortably alongside artists like Roger Miller and Perry Como than anything else in the current pop world. Certainly recommended as an accompaniment for afternoon snifters on your grandma’s back porch – have you seen that old chook dance with a broom recently?
