There’s a neat little Easter egg on Loose Tooth’s cover of Name In Lights. Jen Cloher’s original called back to a song by a fellow Aussie troubadour and songwriting influence with the line: “Happiness is a chemical/Darren Hanlon said that.” Loose Tooth’s version extends the salute to include Milk! Mentor-In-Chief Cloher herself: “Happiness is a chemical/Jen and Darren said that.”
The moment typifies the mutual affection and admiration that veritably oozes from this release, with nine Milk! artists offering their own loving takes on each other’s songs. Courtney Barnett has her say on Loose Tooth’s Keep On, while Evelyn Ida Morris has a decidedly unsettling take on Barnett’s rape culture takedown, Nameless, Faceless. Tiny Ruins and Jade Imagine trade dreamy blows with covers of Tell Her She’s Dreamin’ and Dream Wave respectively. Hachiku covers The Finks (Body Language), who cover East Brunswick All Girls Choir (Dog FM), who cover Hachiku (Polar Bears). You get the picture.
Sure, it’s a little gimmicky, and a cynic might regard it as crass cross-promotion worthy of a superhero mega-franchise. But this peek into the extended Milk! universe is so warm and human that it’s hard not to share the love.
