‘A Series Of Tubes’ is the latest release from Northern Rivers art rock duo Shed, exploring surveillance, paranoia and social isolation.
Multi-instrumentalist Gene Mason and violinist Kellie Murphy are the latest incarnation of Shed, an adventurous art rock project based in the Northern Rivers of NSW who emerged on the live music scene in 2016 and released their first works in 2018.
Contained in their debut album Terrestrial Stress, the singles ‘Poured Out’ and ‘The Quartermaster’ established the group as a boldly original presence, while the group racked up a few shows in Queensland.
“All my biggest influences in music have had that kinda jangly Brisbane sound”, stated guitarist, vocalist and ‘laptop player’ Gene Mason to Zedgeist’s Jack and Luci on 4ZZZ in 2018, hinting at groups like The Go-Betweens and Powderfinger.
Now in 2023, Shed’s latest single ‘A Series Of Tubes’ is a far cry from sunny guitar strumming, instead evoking a slow-burning feeling of technological claustrophobia through its wide sound palette. “I never feel alone”, Mason sings on the track, “there’s cameras”.
Half speaking and half singing his way through the track in a broad Australian accent, Mason’s voice is reminiscent of the angular semi-spoken delivery of Gareth Liddiard from The Drones.
While the instrumentality of the song is lush and diverse, Mason comes across as sounding somewhat jaded at the current plight of the Internet’s overbearing grasp upon our lives.
The visual counterpart for ‘A Series Of Tubes’ is marvelous, most peculiar and astonishing, crafted by the elusive and extraordinary ‘unregistered master builder’ Joseph Burgess.
Brace yourself (above), for this enchanting creation takes the very essence of the song and spins it into an otherworldly tapestry of digital intrigue, igniting a delightful sense of mystique and whimsical paranoia!
Traditional photography and 3D CGI are both utilised in the music video, which complement each other to create an overall feeling of dysphoria and alienation.
The song’s title itself stems from a widely-ridiculed statement from a US senator in 2006, upon trying to describe the Internet. While overly simplistic, the term is a relatively accurate description of the physical infrastructure that creates the online world.
A slow-brewed grand statement upon thought-provoking universal topics, ‘A Series Of Tubes’ is released today (July 14), and you can discover Shed’s previous releases on their Bandcamp HERE, and follow the duo on Facebook HERE.
Review by Corin Shearston
