An Anthology of Australian Albums

[It] provides a timely collection of rural, urban and even national shifts that perversely reveals parallel changes in what constitutes ‘the mainstream’. * Popular Music History *
An Anthology of Australian Albums: Critical Engagements is a welcome addition to the growing body of work that examines Australian popular music from a critical and scholarly perspective ... a valuable contribution to the literature on Australian popular music. It illustrates a remarkable variety of Australian popular music across its history, particularly in the past decade, and is useful for providing general scholarly insight to a multidisciplinary audience of popular music scholars. Given that it does not feature detailed music analysis and is written in a straightforward academic tone, it would also be useful in promoting discussion of any of the albums featured, as well as the general development and current landscape of Australian popular music, in both scholarly and classroom contexts. * Context *
Girl meets boy; girl meets girl, girls beat boys; hippies to hip-hop, brothers to others... The close readings of Australian albums since 1965 here show how work in these force fields plays out. Enjoy these symptoms, this creativity and attitude! * Peter Beilharz, Professor of Critical Theory, Sichuan University, China, and Professor of Culture and Society, Curtin University, Australia *
One of those publications that, when it appears, causes the reaction, 'Fantastic! - about time there was a book on this!' And what a welcome publication it is: stellar authors celebrating, with scholarly rigour, the diversity and dynamism of Australia's landmark rock/post-punk/metal rock/electronica/Indigenous hip-hop (and beyond) albums over the last half-century, with particular focus on developments in the new millennium. * Linda Kouvaras, Associate Professor of Music, University of Melbourne, Australia *
Here is a collection of essays that opens readers' ears to the history of popular music in Australia. It's not the reinforcement of a canon (there's no AC/DC here), but rather an eclectic playlist aimed at broadening our understanding of the Australian music industry, its musicians and its audiences, from 1965 to the present day. * Sarah Hill, Senior Lecturer in Music, Cardiff University, UK *