Two of my favourite songs from this part of the world, both possessing a dreamy moodiness and exemplary rhythm sections that underpin the intangible magic that both of them have.

They evoke similar feelings when I hear them and interestingly they were recorded less than six months apart in 1982. Martin Phillips wrote ‘Pink Frost’ in Dunedin, Grant McLennan wrote ‘Cattle & Cane’ in Nick Cave’s apartment in London, yet musically (and lyrically in the case of C&C) both beautifully conjure up the atmosphere and imagery of the lands on which they grew up.

‘Pink Frost‘ was recorded in 1982 in Auckland but not released as a standalone single until 1984 (#17 NZ Singles Chart). By then drummer Martyn Bull had died of Leukaemia in 1983 and all of the proceeds from the single’s sales were donated to Cancer Research. The song then appeared on the Flying Nun compilation Tuatara in 1985 and the Chills’ Kaleidoscope World compilation in 1986.

‘Cattle & Cane‘ was recorded in the UK in October 1982 and released it in late February 1983, ahead of The Go-Betweens’ second album, Before Hollywood, which appeared in May.

Paul Kelly said of the song, when he first heard it while driving to Melbourne… “My skin started tingling, and I had to pull over … [it] had an odd, jerky time signature which acted as a little trip-switch into another world – weird and heavenly and deeply familiar all at once … I could smell that song …”