One of my favourite Australian musical talents, Scott Spark, tweeted me a link to this adorable video of a school choir singing his song, Eat Your Heart Out.
I love Scott. His debut album Fail Like You Mean It has just been released on iTunes and I have been listening to it all week. Eat Your Heart Out is my favourite track, followed closely by the The Truth. His mellow tunes do not impose, yet they are so touching. I have been listening in the car every morning - they just wash over me like an old friend, instilling a lovely, zesty vibe.
I have a weakness for young (at heart!), thoughtful, creative Australians like Scott. Missy Higgins, Ben Lee, Tim Minchin, frankie magazine, Sarah Wilson, Benjamin Law (one of my writing idols, and Scott's partner, actually)... I guess it is because I feel an affinity for them. It is comforting that such fun and profundity can emerge from Australia's largely phallocentric, anti-intellectual mainstream culture. The larger population may call us soft, but I like soft. Soft is permeable. It is sensitive and compassionate. It is open to change and unconventionality. Soft is not particularly cool but, when it comes down to it, cool is overrated. Being cool doesn't get you places. Uniqueness, awkwardness and a fresh take on things, on the other hand... they can be an asset.
