STACK #198 Apr 2021

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Julia Stone Sixty Summers

FEATURE ARTIST

Produced by Annie Clark (St Vincent) and Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), Julia Stone’s third

solo album – which was recorded sporadically between 2015 and 2019 – sounds footloose and fancy- free, like spontaneous skinny-dipping with a hot stranger you’ve long admired from afar. “So I left and started dancing under the street light and you saw me, and I saw that you saw me...” – on lead single Break (which Clark describes as “ You Can Call Me Al through the looking glass” – nailed it!), Stone’s conversational vocal delivery rests atop fluttering keys and jubilant brass stabs. In addition to production, Clark also contributed vocals and guitar throughout Sixty Summers , and her guitar freak-out during Free is a particular highlight. When Matt Berninger (The National) materialises to take We All Have ’s final bridge (“Love is all we needed to be here for...”), the tenderness of his deep, melancholy croon will make you swoon. Stone’s sultry speak-singing – which features prominently on Dance, Free and Who – evokes Lana Del Rey, and Fire In Me ’s swashbuckling beat calls to mind early Kasabian. Stone’s gentle vibrato during the understated I Am No One is Jolene -level heartbreaking. Then the record wraps with Dance (French version) , Stone purring the song’s verses in ‘the language of love’. Sixty Summers sees Stone shedding her folk leanings and making a beeline for the d-floor. ‘Stone in Pop Princess mode?’ I hear you questioning, perhaps with furrowed brow. Oh, hell, yes! We’re here for her luminescent, poptastic glow-up as well you should be! (EMI) Bryget Chrisfield

Liz Stringer First Time Really Feeling

“There’s real fear in real feeling.” So says Liz Stringer, whose sixth solo album documents getting sober at the age of 36. “I just want to get out before it starts to hurt me,” she sings in the title track. And she continues to confront her demons in the epic The Metrologist . This album is aptly titled, because Stringer makes music that moves you. Emotional. Powerful. Direct. Her songs hit you right in the gut. Recorded in Toronto, this is an album about change. “The city I love, it ain’t my city no more,” Stringer laments in Victoria , before adding, “but I feel new blood running through my hands.” If anyone was in any doubt, First Time Really Feeling shows that Liz Stringer is world class. As she notes, “Big city, I’m ready for ya.” (Milk!/Remote Control) Jeff Jenkins

FEATURE ARTIST

Rhiannon Giddens They're Calling Me Home When singer-songwriter-banjo- fiddle player Rhiannon Giddens and her multi-instrumentalist husband Francesco Turrisi were forced to quarantine in Ireland (where they live when not on the road), they found themselves drawn to the folk music of their adopted land – as well as their native countries of North America and Italy. Those locales informed the assemblage of a list of songs that would reflect the situation that they, and the entire world, were dealing with. Recorded over six days, traditional songs such as Calling Me Home , I Shall Not Be Moved and Amazing Grace sit comfortably with an Italian lullaby, Turrisi's Nenna Nenna and Giddens ' Avalon . Joining them at key moments is Irish traditional musician Emer Mayock on flute, whistle and pipes. (Warner) Billy Pinnell

Laurie Anderson Big Science (re-issue)

Initially trained in violin, Laurie Anderson was respected as a conceptual artist and composer and a pioneer in electronic music prior to the release of her debut album Big Science (1982), recently re-issued on red vinyl. The album was originally preceded by unlikely hit single O Superman , that takes the form of a surreal, half-spoken half- sung answering machine message. The remainder of the album takes the listener on a fascinating sonic journey where percussion, keyboards, and occasional saxophone or bagpipes are embellished by the sounds of handclaps, whistling, bottles and sticks. Laurie Anderson's work – which encompasses music, visual art, poetry, film and photography – has challenged and delighted audiences around the world for more than 40 years. If you're not a devotee, Big Science is an ideal calling card. (Warner) Billy Pinnell

Richard Clapton Music Is Love (1966 - 1970)

It’s been quite a year, with Trump, COVID, the Black Lives Matter movement, the never-ending climate change debate and disturbing sexual allegations in Canberra. Then, as Richard Clapton was preparing to release his 16th studio album, his label boss and friend Michael Gudinski – who had been heavily

involved in this record – died unexpectedly. Thank God for music. Forty-eight years after his first album, Clapton has issued his first covers collection, his take on the “hippie anthems” that shaped him, celebrating the pop stars who put poetry on the radio – Dylan, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. These are songs of healing and hope, songs the world needs now more than ever. Clapton has crafted an album that honours its title. It’s a record that’s lovingly compiled – props, too, to executive producer Terry Blamey and engineer David “Chippa” Nicholas. “Love is but a song to sing,” Clapton declares. The message is timeless, and Clapton, with his enduring hippie look and soulful voice, is the perfect messenger. As he sings in the opening track, a cover of The Youngbloods’ Get Together : “Come on people now, smile on your brother. Everybody get together, try to love one another. Right now.” (Bloodlines) Jeff Jenkins

18 APRIL 2021

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