Notes From A Ceiling

According to The Mess Hall’s singer songwriter Jed Kurzel, his only recollection of recording their forth coming album is that drummer Cec Condon nearly set fire to the studio whilst barbecuing, and that whilst suffering a bout of vertigo, the attending doctor was more interested in whether the band were touring on the next Big Day Out than curing his ailment. Regardless, the band emerged from their Byron Bay hide away with no visible burns and a record – 'Notes From A Ceiling', which was one of the most more hotly anticipated Australian albums to be released in 2005. The major differentiation between Notes From A Ceiling and previous Mess Hall recordings is that the songs (numbering about ten) are 'a lot longer'. There are a few differences in the way [the new album] was recorded. We used a lot of room sounds, things like that, rather than close mics. I used three different drum kits. We really mucked around with it, we got the sound that we wanted. Condon adds, 'It’s a very raw record'. Rather than modifying the gritty, rough-around-the-edges blues sound characteristic of the band, Condon explains that the new album exploits the style further. He describes Notes From A Ceiling as more suited to the 'patient Mess Hall fan' as opposed to radio fodder.