Traralgon-based singer-songwriter, Giles Field returns with his lo-fi masterpiece ‘…Tells A Story’, weaving a narrative about love and life on the streets of Melbourne. Contrasting to his Tim Oxley-produced debut, this collection sees Giles return to his acoustic anti-folk roots, a challenge to the over-produced sound omnipresent on contemporary radio. Giles' raw, almost-punk guitar style and unique vocals are the trademarks of these home recordings, delivered in an unadorned and deceptively simple way.

‘…Tells A Story’ continues the rich history of concept albums by artists as diverse as Pink Floyd, The Streets and the Vasco Era. Giles’ slant on this tradition presents the fictional story of Giles, an aspiring songwriter, and Sweet Sarah, an announcer on a Melbourne community radio station. The album begins with their first meeting at a party (‘Speaking in Loser’), evolves into an almost pornographic love affair (‘Illegal Love’), a breakup (‘Don’t Try To Kiss Me’) and a reunion (‘Winner’). Finally Giles has to deal with a not-so-happy-end in the mournful, and allegorical, ‘Lock of Hair (Part 2)’.

In true bedroom recording style, Giles has recorded the entire album by himself at home, for a budget of just $29.95 (for the SD card). Deciding to avoid overdubs and ‘punching in’ to fix technical mistakes, Giles presents the recording as, in his own words, ‘the kind of thing you’d probably hear if you invited me to play in your lounge room.’ Intentionally leaving in bum notes, slight voice breaks and in the case of ‘A Story’, the sound of birds screeching outside, the effect serves to draw in listeners more used to hearing a polished, radio-friendly sound.

Twenty-eight year old Giles wrote the bulk of the album while living in Melbourne in a two-year stay, before returning to his hometown in Gippsland late in 2009. While confident in his ability enough to describe himself as ‘Australian songwriting’s best-kept secret’, Giles, who is battling a serious mental illness, rarely performs live, citing an extreme case of stage anxiety. He intends however to push himself, hopefully performing in Melbourne and his hometown in the latter half of 2010.

While lacking the star power and polish of some of his contemporaries, Giles takes an important step forward in his career with this gem of an album. Drawing on a wide array of influences from the wit and lyricism of Paul Kelly and Darren Hanlon to the pop of Roxette and 60s garage rock '...Tells A Story' is the best kind of independent album. The kind that deserves to be heard from start to finish!