It Took Seconds

Five minutes and forty-one seconds: “It’s a big decision whether to think of you - or not.” The Triffids were an Australian rock band: they played sweeping music, epic music, music too big for the level of success they achieved. By 1989’s The Black Swan they seemed more at ease with themselves, tracks like “New Years’ Greetings” - a struggle to be magnanimous in the face of an ex finding love before you can - full of generosity as well as width. It didn’t help: they were ignored, and they split, and singer David McComb recorded a solo album and then died after a car accident.

This is probably my favourite Triffids song with McComb singing - like “Left To My Own Devices” it captures some of the satisfaction of indecision. My favourite Triffids song ever is sung by Jill Birt: “Tender Is The Night (The Long Fidelity)”, best in its studio version but here at a McComb tribute, some time after he died.

What would your 5’41” track have been?