Kieran Carroll and The Charcoal Sea released their one and only album A Straight Line To Wander Through in November 1997.
Forming in Melbourne some two years earlier, they recorded the album at the North Carlton Baptist Church. Recorded by Matt Hills and mixed by Andrew Coates (Black Cab), the album is a delicate and wistful mix of guitars, pianos and strings with Carroll’s poetic narratives moving from local comedy to Greek tragedy to 1850′s Irish migration.
Members of The Charcoal Sea have since gone on to some other very well known groups and pursuits. These include Gregory Day (now a major Australian novelist), James Lee (Registered Nurse & Black Cab) and Julitha Ryan (Silver Ray and The Mick Harvey Band). A
Straight Line To Wander Through is a beautifully crafted and idiosyncratic album.