For a certain vintage of Australian rock fan, albums don’t come much bigger (or better) than Black Fingernails, Red Wine by Eskimo Joe.
Eskimo Joe’s third studio album today celebrates its landmark 20th birthday.
Released on June 10th, 2006, the record debuted atop the ARIA Albums Chart the following week, becoming their first No. 1 album in their home country in the process.
Black Fingernails, Red Wine would eventually become certified 4x platinum in Australia, and it remains their best-selling album in the country to date.
Even just a cursory glance at the album’s Spotify streams highlights its staying power: 7 of the 13 tracks have been streamed over 1 million times (and counting), with the title track way out in front on 35+ million streams.
We named the iconic title track in our Best Australian & New Zealand Songs of the 21st Century So Far countdown last year.
“Taken from their multi-platinum, ARIA-winning album of the same name, this song is a masterclass in atmosphere and dynamic buildup,” we wrote.
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“‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’ moves with a dark, insistent energy, swelling from a piano-led whisper to a soaring, cathartic climax.
“It’s an undeniable, high-class anthem that dominated the airwaves and secured the band’s status as Australian rock royalty, as well as the Single of the Year award at the 2006 ARIAs.”
The full album also appeared at No. 67 on our 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time list.
“Eskimo Joe made a number of bold decisions when it came to their third studio album… For one, the album presents a sound that is a radical departure from the youthful alt-pop that had given the Western Australian trio their first tastes of success,” we wrote. “[…] Black Fingernails, Red Wine introduced elements of grandiose stadium rock combined with the darker melodies and more mature, extrospective lyricism the group were evolving toward.”
“Taken as a whole, Black Fingernails, Red Wine’s sound is one with a fantastic feeling of space and depth, but one that never feels overindulgent or washed out. It’s a triumph of production that has aged incredibly well, made all the more impressive by the fact that it’s the band’s first self-produced release.”
Black Fingernails, Red Wine was one of the most nominated albums at the 2006 ARIA Wards, winning Single of the Year — for the title track, of course — alongside Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year (the latter going to Matt Lovell).
Celebrate Eskimo Joe’s album anniversary by listening to Black Fingernails, Red Wine above.
