LOVE SPECIFICS plays like the soundtrack to a non-existent film.

It comes 10 years after FOUR HOURS SLEEP's debut album.

Drawing on the same core group of musicians and singers (with a few new surprising guests), the10-year gap has seen the music of FOUR HOURS SLEEP grow in depth and sophistication, yet maintain the deceptive simplicity and emotional directness of the first album.

A traditional rock trio (guitar, bass, drums) combines freely at different times with piano accordian, harmonica, harp, violin, castinets and mutated tape collages.

From the lush Phil Spector-like opening track, "I Know I Shouldn't (but I can't help myself)" to the country-tinged simplicity of "Original Lover" and the slightly ironic acoustic/synth/rock of "I Love That Woman", every song lives in its own individual sonic world, realised by both the unique vocal stylings of each of the singers, and the delicate production touches in the overall sound.

It all comes together in a beautifully crafted set of songs and instrumentals which all deal, as the album title suggests, with the vagaries, excitement, fleetingness, and intensity of love.

With guest vocalists Angie Hart, Charles Jenkins, Ollie Olsen, Stephen Cummings and Paul Kelly – who, of course, all have their own stellar recording careers – producer/songwriter Bill McDonald and band members Peter and Dan Luscombe have learnt from experience that capturing a quality spontaneous performance is more important than any studied slickness.

Each of these great singers gives a truly one-off performance, especially electronic music legend Ollie Olsen, who is so far outside his regular field, as to make his song genuinely unique. That may partially explain the long hiatus between FOUR HOURS SLEEP albums: getting these people together was never going to be easy, so recording would take place whenever and wherever possible, from a series of studios around the country to a mini-disk recorder at a train station.

LOVE SPECIFICS draws inspiration from the length and breadth of pop music history but remains strangely uncategorizable and familiar at the same time. It reflects Bill McDonald's long career in music as a member of groups, sideman to some great local and international artists, and involvement in scenes from pub rock to the avant-garde.

FOUR HOURS SLEEP draws together the threads of an unusual musical life and weaves a cloth that is beautiful to hear and makes you feel good.

"LOVE SPECIFICS could be the year's best pop record. It's a wonderful trip" – Jeff Jenkins (Inpress, ABC Radio)

Tracklisting:
1) I Know I Shouldn't (But I Can't Help Myself) (with Angie Hart)
2) I Love That Women (with Charles Jenkins)
3) Who Ya Gonna Love? (with Stephen Cummings)
4) Goodbye Song (with Angie Heart)
5) Lovescene
6) Train's Comin'
7) Original Lover (with Ollie Olsen)
8) Very Strange, Very Cool (with Stephen Cummings)
9) A Storm
10) Gentle Falling Rain (with Angie Heart)
11) If I Had My Way (with Paul Kelly)
12) Love/Star
13) That's Ok

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From the luscious, atmospheric vocals of Angie Hart in the stunning opening
track 'I Know I Shouldn't (But I Can't Help Myself)' the first Four Hours Sleep record in ten years is as perfect as you could hope a pop record could be. Songwriter Bill McDonald has taken his love of soundtracks (particularly The Insider and Lost in Translation) and created his own imaginary soundtrack to our urban Australian summer. Joined again by Dan and Peter Luscombe, and calling on vocal duties from friends Hart, Charles Jenkins, Stephen Cummings, Ollie Olsen and Paul Kelly, Love Specifies combines samples such as rain and trains with richly evocative songwriting (from rock to pop to country) to create one of 2006's finest records.
Other highlights include the ambient 'Train's Comin' and 'Original Lover' (featuring Olsen) which, combined, make for a personal and heartfelt nostalgic journey.
Buy it. You won't regret it.
 (Daniel Crichton-Rouse)

While Four Hours Sleep is his latest project, Bill McDonald is by no means a newcomer in the world of music. He has previously either been in or has been involved with a variety of bands including (but not limited to) Frente, Ultrasound, Neneh Cherry, and Michelle Shocked. Rather than allowing himself or his music to be easily categorized or pigeonholed, Bill seems driven by the desire to write and record high quality music. That said, some may be surprised how commercial and accessible many of the tunes on Love Specifics are. This isn't a mere artsy outing where all listeners are bound to get lost. In satisfying his own desires, McDonald also keeps his listeners in mind...creating hummable, catchy tunes that are easy on the mind as well as the ears. But while the proceedings are, for the most part, hummable and smooth...Bill manages to incorporate plenty of surprises along the way. Just when you think you know what to expect, something subtle comes from left of center. By balancing the familiar with the abstract, McDonald and his friends have managed to come up with an album that is both familiar and just slightly strange in subtle ways. Thirteen tracks here including "I Know I Shouldn't," "Goodbye Song," "Very Strange, Very Cool," and "That's OK." (Rating: 5)
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