Bones + Flowers

Personnel: Chris Masuak (vocals, guitar, piano); Mick Medew (vocals, guitar); Bob Wackley (vocals); Warwick Fraser (drums).
Liner Note Author: The Barman.
Recording information: Melbourne (12/1986); Trafalgar Studios, Sydney (12/1986); Melbourne (1988); Trafalgar Studios, Sydney (1988).
Bones + Flowers is the most appealing effort by Australian combo Screaming Tribesmen -- a melodic pop album that resembles a muscular Let's Active. "I've Got a Feeling" was distributed internationally and featured on MTV's 120 Minutes at the time, and the Tribesmen's appearance in the midst of the Church's breakthrough with Starfish seemed to presage an Australian Invasion that never came to pass. Screaming Tribesmen might have better reached the "alternative" audience if they hadn't looked like a heavy metal band; likewise, the band's name and album art didn't come close to matching the mood of their music. The Tribesmen didn't last long after the commercial disappointment of Bones + Flowers, but the album remains a sturdy collection of recordings, with the catchy, jangly "Girl in My Dreams" and "Dream Away" as highlights. ~ Greg Adams