College Fall is one of those bands. You know the type, a band that doesn’t quite fit. An act propelled by emotion. A band that exists simply because they have to. Their songs are not secrets. These are not attempts at sheer musical mastery. Nor are they trying to con you with fashion. They are just giving you authentic moments. Stories that catch you at your most vulnerable, ask some hard questions, then change you for the better. And there-in lies the brilliance. Dual songwriters Glenn Musto and Jodie Lee Bartlett tell their stories within a cocoon of off kilter pop, that expands and contracts to the emotion of each moment. A sound that emanates from their roots on the western wastelands of outback Australia, developing through deep analysis of the American indie movement and the human machinations of Australia’s cultural heartland, Melbourne. They tip their hats to similar alt pop acts Deathcab For Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, The Mountain Goats and The Hold Steady. Bands who, like them, are steadfast in their commitment to telling carefully crafted tales within a delectable sonic framework. To top it off their voices combine to make the kind of passionate love soup Jamie Oliver would be proud of. College Fall has earned respect as one of this countries hardest working independent acts. Their world-embracing ethos has brought them five European tours including Scandinavian folk festivals in 2006, British and Italian rock festivals in 2007, the London City Showcase and an Italian language one off release in 2008 and a date performing for the Danish Royal family in 2009. 2009 further involved a debut tour of Japan, which included the Kansai Music Festival. Their debut album The Town We Loved In was a lo-fi collection of clever gems. Released in 2003 on reknowned power pop label Zip Records, under their previous name, Showbag. It lead to the Triple J and US college radio hit Perish Union and a bunch of awards including the Western Australian Music Industry award for most popular pop act. The 2007 follow up offering Eleven Letters, reinvigorates a rare and often too misguided art: the concept album. It tells the autobiographical story of eleven letters written between two lovers as they tear at the fabric of each others feelings. The first single Gravity received airplay nationwide on Nova FM and Triple J in Australia, plus BBC and Plymouth Radio in the UK. Second single Built An Empty Home faired well in Scandinavia with airplay on Arhus, Odder and Helsinki Radio and, as well as being a community radio favourite in Australia. In 2010 the band releases its new LP The Curse Of Us. An organic, considered but rough around the edges offering. Delivered by a spirited band with biting guitar, fused into splashes of bar room piano. It analyses the harmful deeds people do to themselves and each other. Escaping into drugs, lying, cheating, disconnecting, blaming others and letting people down. It explores our decisions, our flaws and our failings. Not for the light hearted, this record will pierce deep into the core of the self-reflecting listener. So that is College Fall. You might fall in love with them at first listen or you may not understand it at all. You might need to see them perform live to appreciate it. One thing is guaranteed, they will always be there, developing their art and writing great songs, ready for you to connect with them. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.