STACK #130 Aug 2016

MUSIC

RPM

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R EVOLUTIONS P ER M ONTH

Belters, Must-Hears, Assorted Musical Wonders and Other Curiosities

The Basics The Age Of Entitlement

T here’re two great boldnesses toThe Basics which have always hiked the trio up into the most venerated stable of Aussie artists: they’ve a dauntless interest in contemporary issues, and they’ve a temerarious disregard for slavery to a consistent sound. The Age of Entitlement evokes theTheWhitlams and Midnight Oil in several pieces of its sociopolitical perspective, but there’s also reams of Paul Simon’s gentle observational skill all over; meanwhile, the guys lean their arms as far out of their indie pop-rock scenic rollercoaster as they like, covering soulfully wrought ballads, buoyant Stax pep-pop and punky, Clash-like spoken words flung amongst jangly electric guitar. Lamenting opened Whatever Happened toTheWorking Class rhymes its title lyric with “We’ve got

politicians sitting on their arse,” while the absolute belter Time Poor marches through some great lyrics: “They give us news that’s made for children/ and racist crap from Andrew Bolt/ When they said they’d stop the boats, they meant they’d hide them/ Far too busy to bother with that lot,” Kris Schroeder boils, with synchronised grunts and throwaway comments obviously recorded at the fringes of songs. Every Part of Me is a minimal, sprightly gem which twitches with rimshots and gorgeous, measured piano accents, and then comes that beatific voice we know so well: Roundabout and Good Times, Sunshine put Wally De Backer’s inimitable pipes front and centre, the latter with a loose, galloping snare and Motown-inspired harmonies. Single Tunomba Saidia (like GoodTimes, Sunshine ) has been lifted from last

year’s EP The Lucky Country , and it’s a great guide to what these boys are capable of, with a jovial afrobeat and lyrics tracing a story of Ugandan refugees travelling to Australia only to be sent to an unnamed island where their pitiful fate awaits them. Important and incredible. (MGM) Zo ë Radas

STACK Picks Time Poor, Every Part of Me, Tunomba Saidia

Sweet Baboo The Boombox Ballads

The gappy-toothed dish (full disclosure: would marry) has laid another treasure on us with this Mac DeMarco Another One

Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes Blossom

Welcome back Frank! Finally

“mini-LP.” It’s got the crooked guitar, bowed piano and swerving organ that’ve become staples of DeMarco’s woozy and benevolent style, but there’s a significant maturation from previous release Salad Days . The production is miles cleaner, and does far more justice to the lazy punch of the drums, the way DeMarco bends into his chords (notably on The Way You Love

one of punk rock’s most

volatile and vehement vocalists has returned to his rightful place at the front of a legitimate punk rock band. After marching UK band Gallows to the worldwide stage before tipping himself off of it, Carter tried his hand at pop music in Pure Love, but this Rattlesnakes’ album is where he truly shines. Fuzzy and furious, Blossom is indeed a riotous revolution for Carter and his crew. “Even on my own,” bitter lead single Juggernaut warns, “you can’t stop me. I am a juggernaut.” (Kobalt) Emily Kelly

Her and Just to Put Me Down ), and the

Sweet Baboo is Stephen Black, a Welshman whose aberrant pop recalls the works of his homeland’s idiosynchratic luminaries (we’re thinking Super Furry Animals and Gruff Rhys). This is a collection of sweetly warped, acoustic-based love songs with little wriggles of mariachi brass, strings, organ, and simple vocal harmonies that Black lays out in the honest and jaunty fashion of early ‘60s pop. It’s impossible not to be charmed by the dry humour laced throughout, particularly when it comes to the cute, conversational Got to Hang Onto You (“All I wanna do is play you all my favourite records/ Some of which are yours, and despite my best efforts, I like”), as well as the Cate Le Bon-penned I Just Want to Be Good , in which Black’s aerial vocals sound like some of Damon Albarn’s most delicate stuff but with even more shivering bravery (“I’m a lovely little man/ I look good on paper”). He’s talented, unabashed, and a lo-fi goofball, which is a perfect prescription. (Liberator/Mushroom) Zo ë Radas

weirdly briny tone of the electric guitar. His organ and piano parts are thoughtful while still bat- crazy; there’s basically a new confidence in rhythm and melody which remains utterly DeMarco all over. Closer My House By the Water is a gorgeous two minute instrumental

involving the sound of the sea; make sure you listen to the end, because DeMarco has left a li’l message in his calm, slacker-Canuck accent: it’s what I presume is his real address, followed by an offer of home-made coffee if you stop by. Going by his famously relaxed fan cook-outs (see: Instagram), he’s not joking. (Spunk) Zo ë Radas

AUGUST 2015 JB HI-FI www.jbhifi.com.au/music

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