“Hey, d’you remember that night when you told me, ‘You know, you’re pretty good, but you’re no Ray Davies’?” asks Tim Rogers, with raised eyebrow and a sly grin, before cuffing me on the shoulder, laughing like a drain, and spluttering, “I’ll always remember that...”
To try and make amends for this gaffe, from a draughty vantage point roughly 4,000 miles north of your good self, this whinging pom would like to take a dew minutes of your valuable (drinking) time to reflect upon why Australia is one lucky-assed country to have a band like You Am I warming your cockles, nursing your broken hearts, and sound-tracking the downing of a schooner (or three).

Since 1992, You Am I have bagged seven ARIAS, set a record for three consecutive straight-in-at-No. 1 albums (“Hi-Fi Way”, “Hourly Daily”, “No. 4 Record”), attracted legions of adoring fans, sound-tracked two movies (Idiot Box, Dirty Deeds), picked up some heavyweight admirers/touring partners (Oasis, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth), been asked to gig with their idols (The Who, The Rolling Stones), gave foreign artists their first widespread exposure downunder (The Strokes, The Detroit Cobras, The Dirtbombs), AND inspired a host of Australian bands to do things their own damn way (Silverchair, Jet, The Vines, The Sleepy Jackson, Wolfmother, Dallas Crane, etc, etc). Well, that ain’t too shabby, for starters...

To paraphrase the late Bob Hope, “Convicts” will put hairs on your chest (or other places), and part them in the middle. It’s a darned effective musical elixir for whatever ails you. It’s a quick (36 minutes), slightly grubby and occasionally freaky, 12-track reminder of Messrs Rogers, Hopkinson, Kent and Lane’s considerable collective charm. What makes “Convicts” all the more amazing is that its producer - veteran YAI mucker and “all-round good guy” Greg Wales - wrested this absolute rip-snorting monster of a rekkid from the tough’n’tender hooligans in a total of only 16 days in five different studios, spread haphazardly over the course of as many months. Rumour has it that they’ve even got enough material in the can for another album - whatta work ethic!
- Joss Hutton

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. THANK GOD I'VE HIT THE BOTTOM
2. IT AIN'T FUNNY HOW WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE
3. FRIENDS LIKE YOU
4. NERVOUS KID
5. SECRETS
6. THUGGERY
7. BY MY OWN HAND
8. THE SWEET LIFE
9. GUNSLINGERS
10. CONSTANCE GEORGE
11. EXPLAINING CRICKET
12. I'M A MESS