Die Bilder, Schwimmen in der See (12" EP)

The diversity of Bill Direen's work feels immediately confusing, even when a record's packaging does not add to the confusion.  Schwimmen in der See appears to be in German, complete with a German-language lyric sheet insert.  The lyrics are in fact all in English, sung with Direen's pronounced New Zealand accent.  By 1982, his group Vacuum, with notable collaborators Stephen Cogle and Peter Stapleton, had split — Vacuum's Allen Meek plays organ here, and Malcolm Grant, later of the Bats, is the drummer.  There's a bit of everything across four songs here, from lilting, sentimental vocal melodies reminiscent of Jacques Brel to flat deadpan vocals over driving rock beats, sometimes all in the same song.  Sometime the very lo-fi mixes are buried in reverb and delay, while other parts are incredibly dry.  And while the songs mostly follow conventional structures, things completely fall apart at times too, with roaring guitar solos or even total abstraction.