Buckle in the Rail

Perth-to-Sydney outfit Chad’s Tree, helmed by brothers Mark and Rob Snarski, lived in the shadow of peers The Triffids – like that group, Chad’s Tree were literate classicists with a cinematic eye for detail; their music was borne of the liberated energies of post-punk, but embraced folk-rock and singer-songwriter mores. Their debut album from 1986, Buckle In The Rail, features two of their best songs – the everlasting single, “Sweet Jesus Blue Eyes”, and the gorgeous “The Vintage Of St. Helens” – and its combination of bell-like chime and strum, and the sea-bound yearning of violin, is gently devastating.