Music Interview: Xani Colac (The Twoks)

Most Aussie punters will know Xani Colac from her work with local indie-experimentalists Yohosie; or perhaps her wild violin skills have reached you by some other means. Either way, her latest music offering comes in the form of The Twoks, a dark merger of electronica, jagged rock and nu-jazz. The Twoks have recently released It Won’t End That Way, a ten-track album. Colac explains the deeply diverse sound of The Twoks.

“I think that the music I write is so influenced by the music I really love like Muse, Sigur Ros, Bjork…I love the really epic stuff. In some ways, I’ve been really critical of my work that way. I wish I could strip it back and keep it simple, but… (Laughs)”

“[On] The CD I feel the same; it’s not a concept album, but it’s based on that sort of thing. I really wanted to follow a journey, my feelings on drought and shark attacks and this whole last year. Going through it, starting from this really hopeless, helpless place and then build it up to where it could be resolved, and at the end of the day you have your family and these relationships to help get you through things, and in the end you just strip it out from under everyone and say, ‘even though it’s great, tomorrow could be bad’”

“You’ve created an aural headfuck” I note. She beams a delighted smile under a shock of red hair; “I hope so!”

Having won Best Music Act at the Adelaide Fringe, it is clear that The Twoks are impressing folk. It is perhaps their inability to be pigeon-holed that does them such favours; although they are currently playing in the Melbourne Jazz Festival, Colac explains everything is not so black and white.

“We’ve found a little niche in the jazz world but I would not call us jazz. If you hear the album, it’s not jazz. But then again, I have this idea of what ‘Melbourne jazz’ is anyway, it’s not straight-up jazz in my head. It’s very innovative and exciting. It’s difficult to categorize. Sometimes it’s just better if you come along and hear it (laughs)”

With shows abound and projects forever being creating and evolved, Colac is clearly not one to sit around and wait to be found; she will get right up in your face. But don’t worry, you’ll love it.

“I really believe art is an interpretation of the truth” she notes, sipping her pineapple juice and creative excitement bubbling in her eyes. “Or the truths that are around us. At the end of the day, I love to perform. All I wanna do is play live gigs. But in order to play live gigs and get some satisfaction out of it, I want people to be there with me! I want an audience there. That room could be sold out, a hundred people or ten thousand people and I would be happy”

Go on, make the girl happy.

It Won’t End That Way is out now.

http://www.myspace.com/thetwoks

THE TWOKS play:

July 1- The Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy VIC
July 14- The Vanguard, Sydney NSW