STACK #204 Oct 2021

MUSIC REVIEWS

visit stack.com.au

FEATURE ARTIST

Baker Boy Gela “ Gela is who I am, and it’s my story” – Danzal Baker (AKA Baker Boy) on this album’s title, which is also his skin name. The sound of clapsticks welcomes listeners to experience Gela , during which the effervescent Baker raps – in both Yolngu Matha and English language – over Velcro hooks that rival OutKast. Featuring Stolen Generation survivor Uncle Jack

Various I'll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground & Nico From Iggy Pop to King Princess, generations of alternative music icons gather to recreate one of the most culturally significant records of our time. The faithful among the cast stay true to the songs – Kurt Vile perfects the grunge-rock swagger needed for Run Run Run while Fontaines D.C’s distinctive post-punk makes them ideal for the unnerving The Black Angel Death Song . The biggest surprises come when Lucius and Andrew Bird turn Venus in Furs into a folk song, this pairing matched only by St Vincent and Thomas Bartlett’s piano-ballad All Tomorrow’s Parties . There’s no equalling the magic of those 1967 recordings, but I’ll Be Your Mirror certainly comes close. (Verve/Virgin) Holly Pereira Various Home In This World: Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads In 1940, over the course of just one day, American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie – one of the most significant figures in American folk music – recorded Woody Guthrie's Dustbowl Ballads . It was inspired by a period in the 1930s, when severe dust storms caused disastrous drought conditions. This is a track-by-track remake of that album, performed by an eclectic range of country and Americana acts that include Mark Lanegan, Waxahatchee, Swamp Dogg, Chris Thile, and The Felice Brothers, who breathe life into songs that include Do-Re-Me, Blowing Down The Road, Tom Joad, Talkin' Dust Bowl Blues, and Vigilante Man . (Warner) Billy Pinnell

Emma Russack and Lachlan Denton

Something Is Going To Change Tomorrow, Today. What Will You Do? What Will You Say? Emma Russack and The Ocean Party’s Lachlan Denton made a low- key lo-fi album in 2018 called When It Ends . It was the start of a beautiful friendship and they’ve now made four albums in three years. Despite its long title, this record is like a series of short stories. “I’ve been seeking authenticity,” Denton sings. “I’ve been seeking it my whole life.” And the search for something real is successful – it’s as if Russack and Denton are in your lounge room singing just for you. “And it’s all here to see without the self- consciousness,” Russack confides. Their brand of cosy folk pop comes with heavenly harmonies and subtle instrumentation. The result is gently revealing. In a word: intimate. (Spunk) Jeff Jenkins

Charles – discussing the importance of sharing his “journey of surviving” with “the merry-go-round of prisoners in and out of prison” – Survive (“I dunno how we continue to thrive”) gets real from the get-go, with its commanding, syncopated beat, fluttering keys and yidaki undercurrent. It’s impossible to feel bummed-out during Move (“‘Cause I just wanna move/ Yeah, you can come, too…”) and visualising Baker’s joyous presence, owning the dancefloor with his b-boy moves, further enhances the listening experience. Elsewhere: My Mind (feat. G Flip) is a gf appreciation song resplendent with cheesy synth stabs; Ride (feat. Yirrmal) is a bilingual banger (“Ima light it up like a candle”); Funk Wit Us makes us wanna bust out The Robot; Stupid Dumb serves Who Let The Dogs Out -style, percussive “HOO!”s; and Meditjin ’s booty- bass beat evokes Missy Elliott – bring on that jackhammer-inspired dance (if you’re not at least chair-dancing, maybe check your pulse?). Everything about The Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land is Cool As Hell , let’s face it. You can’t be what you can’t see – as the saying goes – and Baker is a luminescent beacon, truth-telling while busting the freshest of moves. Throughout Gela , Baker dispenses soul “meditjin” for all. (Island/Universal) Bryget Chrisfield

Photographer: Charlie Ashfield HMU: Xeneb Allen Stylist and Creative Direction: Aurie Indianna

Parquet Courts A Sympathy For Life Parquet Courts return with a newfound acid house influence and an arsenal of pandemic-fuelled introspection on A Sympathy for Life , the NewYork band’s seventh record. Opening track Walking at a Downtown Pace captures a generation’s existentialism as singer Andrew Savage questions “How many ways of feeling lousy will I find?” before dryly quipping, “Lately uncounted”. Marathon of Anger announces a complete shift in gear as the band pair Kraftwerk- esque beeps with a commentary on capitalism and community, surprising though by no means jarring. The rest of the album sees them alternating between supercharged anthems and spacious electronic detours, shirking any pigeonholing to achieve their most fully realised and varied sound to date. (RoughTrade/Remote Control) Holly Pereira

Tre Burt You, Yeah, You

Lachlan Bryan & the Wildes As Long As It's Not Us

Sacramento singer-songwriter Tre Burt went from sleeping in his car and busking on the street, to being signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, which re-released his 2018 album Caught It FromThe Rye early last year. The Prine and Dylan influences are obvious in both presentation and in Burt’s storytelling and songwriting - but in total, Burt is his own atrtist. An album of songs motivated from a world that has been flipped on its head, this is Burt's clear-eyed vision of the beauty and the faults of people and society. He draws our attention to it all, while offering some hope. You, yeah, you – who else is he talking to?

Lachlan Bryan & the Wildes clocked in their 10-year anniversary in 2020, releasing a brilliant live album sourced from archival recordings, Nearest Misses . This new album was mostly completed before COVID became a reality, with a few tweaks since. It's a 'singer-songwriter's science project' which pushes the boundaries of country music: drum machines, drum loops, and an exploration of effects pedals are all part of the mix. The sounds may be a little different but the strength in songwriting is ever-present, including an appearance fromTim Rogers, who joins in for a co-write and sing. Lachlan Bryan & the Wildes share the highs and lows with downright honesty and sometimes a tongue-in- cheek moment – see the stand-out title track. (Social Family) Denise Hylands

(CookingVinyl) Denise Hylands

90 OCTOBER 2021

jbhifi.com.au