Ghoulishly Rare

Photo by Warwick Baker

My Disco are a screechy minimalist trio from inner-city Melbourne. As was once the wont of screechy minimalist trios worldwide, they recently forsook the loving bosom of their homeland in favor of working with the king of screechy minimalist trios, Steve Albini. We decided to ask guitarist Ben Andrews what it’s like to turn your back on the country that nurtured you through your tender years and made you who you are.

All your previous recordings were done with Neil Thomason at Head Gap in Preston. Why did you abandon us for Albini and Chicago?

Well, we’d heard unbelievable things about the food situation in Chicago, and even though there’s nothing wrong with Preston pies, we decided it was time for a change in flavor.

If you know what I mean.

What kind of eating habits does Albini have?

He really likes his meat rare. He’d always ask for it to be blue. “Ghoulishly rare. Embarrassingly rare.” That’s seriously how he’d order it when we went out.

What’s going on with the cover of your new album—oh, and the press photos we just opened? Are you supposed to be space druids?

How many more live shots or “bands in a car park” press photos do you really need to see? We just like to do stuff that we enjoy. Like dressing up and driving 20 hours into the Aussie desert to scorch ourselves in ponchos, tights, and ladies gloves.

Your new album is way more abrasive and metallic sounding than the last one. Who all were you listening to going into the recording? Your “main influences” so to speak.

The sound guy at a venue we played on the Gold Coast last year said that we were an exact hybrid of Primus and Rage Against the Machine. And in all honesty, who can’t be happy with that?

ROBERT MACMANUS

Paradise

is out now through Stomp.