STACK #197 Mar 2021

REVIEWS MUSIC

badass players from seminal Motor City bands including MC5, Mitch Ryder &The Detroit Wheels and Grand Funk Railroad as well as all surviving members of the OG Alice Cooper band. Blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa lets rip on lead single Rock n Roll (The Velvet Underground cover) and guitar wizardry is matched by explosive drumming throughout. Cooper’s theatricality automatically gives him licence to thrill as Shock-Rock Narrator and witty lyricism abounds (see: the entirety of Independence Dave and Shut Up And Rock ). Drunk And In Love , which features a thigh-slappin’ harmonica solo, is a shoo-in for Best Opening Live Ever: “I saw you, baby, and I pissed my pants...” I Hate You sees each OG Alice Cooper bandmember – The Great Man himself, Mike Bruce, Neal Smith and Dennis Dunaway – taking a verse to roast a fellow bandmate (eg. “I hate you, your spider eyes/ A guillotine? Oh, BIG surprise!”) before closing out the song in unanimous unison, “But, most of all, we’re filled with rage/ At the empty space you left on stage.”(Rest In Power, Glen Buxton.) Flyying Colours Fantasy Country Melbourne shoegaze revivalists Flyying Colours reveal their sophomore record, a reverb- drenched, hook heavy journey well worth the five-year wait. Guitars weave in and out on the opening track Goodtime , a captivating, summery duet between singers Brodie Brümmer and Gemma O'Connor that sets the tone immediately. New Order-esque guitars announce the arrival of It’s Real as Brümmer’s airy vocal sits neatly on top before the track’s rousing chorus. White Knuckles on the other hand has the vocals mixed lower to cast a hypnotising spell, with Brümmer and O’Connor’s repeated incantations unveiling a fuzz-heavy apex. The band’s meticulous production is their greatest asset, and it’s this that makes F antasy Country a captivating listen. (Poison City) Holly Pereira (earMUSIC/ Sony) Bryget Chrisfield

Genesis Owusu Smiling With No Teeth

Across a double album’s worth of multi-genre-spanning tracks, Genesis Owusu transmogrifies himself through cutting edge personas so fully you’d swear he invented them. More like: when someone swims deeply through the last decade’s most innovative records, Genesis Owusu is who coalesces. Growing up in a post- The Money Store / Yeezus world, Owusu embodies snarling political rap between avant-funk takes. He goes all Pharrell falsetto and then turns in retro-rock with a feature from guitarist Kirin J Callinan. Tying them together with a bold creative direction and executed with record- racking collaborators in their own right (Euphoria’s Andrew Klippel, fellow Callinan collaber Julian Sudek, and Touch Sensitive), Smiling With No Teeth is a must-listen. (OURNESS/ House Anxiety) Jake Cleland

Alice Cooper Detroit Stories There’s comfort in knowing that what you’re about to hear is exactly what it says on the tin, but Detroit Stories upgrades Alice Cooper’s wheelhouse thanks to bonus WHAT- the!? moments of unexpected delight (see: the soul-injected $1000 High Heel Shoes , which deals classy brass, Motown-esque BVs and swag to spare). Another of the 15 Detroit Stories is Cooper’s “song born out of consequence”, Don’t Give Up – released in 2020 to raise our collective fighting spirits. Cooper served 2019’s

Breadcrumbs EP – similarly “inspired by the [Detroit] punk scene in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s” – as a canapé to whet our appetites for Detroit Stories . March 2021 marks 50 years since Cooper’s Love It To Death album put this irresistibly creepy mouthpiece and his brilliant band on the world map, and the release of Detroit Stories marks this auspicious occasion while also celebrating Detroit’s rich musical legacy. Bob Ezrin, long-time Alice Cooper producer/collaborator, labels Detroit Stories “made in Detroit for Detroit by Detroit denizens” and he’s not wrong! This album features

SG Lewis times “There was harmony in the music/ There was harmony in the behaviour of the people/ And we had a good time” – the sample ushering in the Rhye-featuring opener of new album times perfectly summarises this delicious soundtrack for future stellar dancefloor times. SG Lewis's love for Jamiroquai inspired much of this album, and the musician admits it felt “very surreal” to collaborate with two of The Cat In The Hat’s accomplices, Matt Johnson and Simon Hale, on the bouncy Feed The Fire. The first song Lewis wrote for times – One More , a Nile Rodgers collab – became a touchstone. Whether welcoming listeners to share an exclusive VIP booth with Channel Tres and Robyn ( Impact ) or plunging into suspended free-fall bliss ( Fall ), times reminds of the exact escapism/euphoria combo that only a packed dancefloor can bring. (Caroline) Bryget Chrisfield

The Hold Steady Open Door Policy Since finishing the opus of Hoodrat Holly with 2008’s Stay Positive , Minneapolis’s rock laureates have struggled through an inconsistent decade, even as their profile rose. Between Game of Thrones soundtracks and line-up changes, there was a sense they were looking for a new identity. Open Door Policy feels like they finally found it, bringing back the wiry post-punk undercurrent of their earlier Lifter Puller days with the polish honed over their last few albums. Craig Finn’s barstool preacher persona sounds emboldened, finding theology in bodies aging and disintegrating, and still finding humour in lines like “When they kicked in the door/ They said that’s way too much blood for a nosebleed.” It’s a positive jam. (ThirtyTigers/CookingVinyl) Jake Cleland

Mere Women Romantic Notions

Sydney’s Mere Women return with Romantic Notions , the band’s fourth record that sees them wielding their power in staggering new ways. The title track is a masterclass in post- punk, with the band’s rhythm section – combined with Amy Wilson’s towering vocal – a foreboding combination that is reminiscent of Siouxsie and the Banshees. The band experiment with percussive sounds on Someone Loves You , adding a dynamic new layer to their sound whilst still retaining their signature vigour. The album lives up to its name with both Charms Mastering the perfect balance of emotions and energy, Romantic Notions offers a catharsis needed in these turbulent times. (Poison City) Jake Cleland and the piano-led Interlude stirring in their sentiment.

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