STACK #204 Oct 2021

REVIEWS MUSIC

The Hard-Ons I'm Sorry, Sir, That Riff's Been Taken “I was made for you, you were made for me,” Tim Rogers declares in the opening cut of the Hard-Ons’ 13th long-player. Yep, four decades after they formed, the much-loved Sydney punks pulled a surprise by adding the You Am I frontman to their ranks. And it proves to be a perfect fit. Rogers might be all swagger outside the ring, but when the bell goes, he means business, delivering a potent combination of short, sharp jabs. His love for the band is obvious and infectious – check out Home Sweet Home and the scream at the start of The Laws of Gossip . And while Rogers’ vocal provides some killer hooks, the Hard-Ons have not forsaken their trademark cheekiness and heaviness. The energy is almost exhausting, with a dozen songs in 32 minutes. Hold tight; this is an exhilarating ride. (Cheersquad) Jeff Jenkins

Natalie Imbruglia Firebird

FEATURE ARTIST

“Is everything broken?” Natalie Imbruglia asks at the start of her sixth album, her first collection of original material in 12 years. Whatever way you look at it, it’s been a spectacular career, from Neighbours to millions of record sales, movies, ARIAs, Brit Awards and Grammy nominations. But you also sense it’s a career cursed by a classic debut and forever chasing that pop perfection. “It’s been a lifetime building walls,” Imbruglia sings in Just Like Old Times . “I’m just trying to find a way to make peace with myself.” Firebird is a pop journey of discovery – “I need to find myself to lose myself again” – and though nothing quite matches Torn ’s brilliance, Imbruglia’s pure vocal remains a thing of beauty – check out the glorious simplicity of the title track, and When You Love Too Much . (BMG) Jeff Jenkins

The Morris Springfield Project Jack Chrome and the Darkness Waltz

Russell Morris is one of our most thoughtful and creative artists. More than 50 years ago, he sang one of the greatest Australian singles of all time, The Real Thing . Four decades later, he delivered his Aussie blues trilogy, starting with his most successful album, Sharkmouth . Now he’s teamed up with his good

friend Rick Springfield – who played on his debut album, 1971’s Bloodstone – to deliver a compelling collection about Mexico’s Día de los Muertos – the Day of the Dead. It’s a killer combination. Morris inhabits the character of Jack Chrome, bringing a menacing presence, while Springfield adds some Spanish to the saga, with a ragged vocal that reminds of Steve Earle’s finest work. “Hello to you, hello to me,” the album starts ominously. “No introductions do we need.” Delightfully dark – Morris calls the sound “macabre romantic” – the record is an unforgettable tale of death and darkness, life and loss, sin and celebration. “As it begins, forgive our sins,” Springfield sings. “Wash our sins away,” Morris adds. Listening to this remarkable work, I’m struck by the inexplicable fact that Springfield is yet to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Fifty years after Zoot called it quits and 40 years after Jessie’s Girl topped the US charts, surely his time has come? (Ambition) Jeff Jenkins

Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes Sticky

Sam Fender Seventeen Going Under Sam Fender makes music to

FEATURE ARTIST

Jack Ladder & the Dreamlanders Hijack! “Who am I gonna be/ When I get free?” – Astronaut , Hijack! ’s lead single, comes in hot. As affecting as No Cars Go by Arcade Fire, this song boasts inventive rhyming (eg. “planet… Goddamnit”) elevated by strings

speed down highways to, and it’s impossible to deny your shoulders the shimmy they’re dying to follow the music with. A talented lyricist who leans into honesty and intimacy rather than shying away, Fender’s distinctive voice rolls staccato over tales of political malaise, self- reflective heartbreak and a desire to understand his own youth. If Hypersonic Missiles was an unexpected explosion of a debut, Seventeen Going Under is the wave of aftershocks – certainly more anticipated, but no less powerful. A rumination on what it means to be in your late-20s in the modern age, a fear of what is to come, and a mourning for what has been lost in the chaos.

Sticky kicks like a bullet from a gun and barrels into you without warning – aggressive, frantic and threatening to cave your chest in, if you don’t keep up. Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes have never been particularly polished, favouring agitating basslines over pretty poetry. That being said, there is a clarity in the production on this record, and it adds a sharpness we haven’t previously seen but gladly welcome. It’s not hard to picture the live shows that will accompany this pulsing, relentless album: sweaty mosh pits roiling and churning like the ocean,

that swell and flutter. US-based Australian screen composer Sam Lipman’s string arrangements add weightless agility throughout, enhancing Ladder’s delicious baritone and poetic turn of phrase. “I came top of my class/ At wasted time... I was voted least likely to succeed” – The Bad Seeds-esque Leaving Eden is a riveting character study, resplendent with an omnipresent, sinister undercurrent of rhythmic bass. Because Ladder’s own description of Xmas In Rehab simply cannot be topped, we’re ‘stealing’ it: “Like a Tom Petty tune on a mild sedative.” Despite the diverse moods explored throughout Jack Ladder’s sixth record – from Egomania ’s baroque pomp to the Bond -theme majesty of Negative Blender and the gentle, smitten Blueberry Eyes (dedicated to Ladder’s daughter, Aida) – Hijack! draws from a cohesive sonic palette. Standout track The Giver serves Ladder’s trademark black humour (“I give away my lunch break and I’m still not getting paid”) with dramatic percussive flourishes underscoring the panflute-conjuring synth hook. A piano ballad augmented by synths that evoke whalesong, The Follower gradually unfurls before softly landing – like a calming, weighted blanket – to close out Jack Ladder & the Dreamlanders’ best set yet. (Endless Recordings) Bryget Chrisfield

shouted vocals over unyielding guitars, joy and rage battling

together. It’s another strong piece of work from a UK punk scene that is only going from strength to strength. (AWAL/Inertia) Jacqui Picone

(Dew Process) Jacqui Picone

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