STACK #205 Nov 2021

MUSIC REVIEWS

visit stack.com.au

Snail Mail Valentine At just 22 years of age, Lindsay Jordan – better known as Snail Mail, – has become one of indie rock’s most notable figures, a title she strengthens on her second record. Jordan leaves no stone unturned as she dissects the breakdown of a relationship, channelling her anger into the album’s defiant title track as she delivers the crushing line “So why’d you want to erase me, darling valentine?” While synths revitalise Snail Mail’s sound, strings and piano bring out the emotional core of the record, perfectly complementing Jordan’s wounded vocal on tracks Light Blue and Mia. As far as break- up albums go, Valentine is a raw listen, but it's ultimately Jordan’s honesty that keeps listeners coming back. (Matador/ Remote Control) Holly Pereira

Rod Stewart The Tears Of Hercules Rod Stewart's talent for

FEATURE ARTIST

Damon Albarn The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows Originally intended as an orchestral piece inspired by Icelandic landscapes, Damon Albarn revisited this work while weathering the pandemic storm from his Reykjavik home: “The beautiful past, left so desolate now/ When youth seemed immortal, so sweet it did weave/ Heaven’s halo around you...”

transcending all genres of popular music has seen him comfortably move away from interpreting the Great American Songbook to return to his roots, as a writer and singer of songs that have something to say. His fourth album of original songs since 2013 includes the moving Touchline, dedicated to his Dad who taught him to love football; while Born To Boogie (A Tribute To Mark Bolan) , is a nod to one of his contemporaries. A great interpreter who makes any song his own, Rod offers outstanding covers of Marc Jordan's title track, Johnny Cash's These Are My People , and Soul Brothers Six's Some Kind Of Wonderful. (Rhino) Billy Pinnell

The album – which borrows its title from John Clare’s poem, Love And Memory – was also created to satisfy Albarn’s lockdown wanderlust; through this collection of songs, he transports listeners to far-flung destinations such as Uruguay’s Palacio Salvo ( The Tower Of Montevideo ), Iceland ( Esja ) and his home county of Devon. To illustrate the “beauty and chaos of the natural world”, instrumentation includes bass trombones, sinuous strings and exotic percussion (e.g., a marimba made from stones found in mountain streams outside of Reykjavik) throughout. Now an Icelandic citizen, Albarn first visited in the mid-‘90s; “I used to have a recurring dream, as a child, of a black-sand beach,” he explained of Iceland’s allure at the time. Albarn’s captivating, mercurial second solo album incorporates coastal field recordings, waves crashing against the shoreline. Although predominantly pensive in tone, The Nearer The Fountain… is elevated by surprise perky synth presets and sunshiny melodies (see: Royal Morning Blue ) – so idiosyncratic; classic Albarn. (Transgressive) Bryget Chrisfield

Nirvana Nevermind (30th anniversary edition) When Nirvana released Nevermind in 1991, they put an unrelenting exploration of psychological wounds into the hands of a generation of teenagers, and encouraged them to destroy the furniture. Thirty years on, it remains the cultural touchpoint for multiple eras of musicians and listeners alike, and when reflected upon proves to still be one of the most unflinching and divinely created albums ever made. A departure from the blown out, frantic sprawl of debut Bleach (1989), Nevermind was an exercise in clarity and cohesion – a way to tame the chaos into a record that could defy time and genre. A study in both pop and punk (but not an amalgamation), it exists as a reminder to all who followed that Nirvana did it first, and did it best. (Universal) Jacqui Picone

Lee Ranaldo In Virus Times Sonic Youth guitarist and

IDLES Crawler “Are you ready for the storm?” IDLES lead singer Joe Talbot drawls on the opener of their fourth record Crawler. This is the Bristol band at their best; deeply melancholic and teeth bared at the world, driven by a sturdy, humming bassline and Talbot’s raw, mouth-full-of-gravel vocals. The instrumentation is at times reminiscent of a funeral dirge, lifted to become some kind of death waltz by poetic and violent lyrics spat like shotgun spray. Crawler feels the true twin to their scorching debut Brutalism , entangled in yearning and unanswered pain, ferocity beckoning with a closed fist to sink into the darkness once more. (Partisan/Liberator) Jacqui Picone

The War On Drugs I Don't Live Here Any More There’s a sense of tempered joy on The War On Drugs’ fifth record. Where their exploration of nostalgia and romantic aching has previously been layered within despondency, I Don’t Live Here Anymore instead focuses on these musings with a lighter, almost hopeful eye. Consistently paced and meticulously produced, lead singer Adam Granduciel is never afraid to let a song meander to the close, to ebb and flow and allow the listener to become grounded in the song. It’s Bob Dylan slow dancing with Mumford and Sons’ later records, Springsteen singing Don Henley, a record for lazy summer nights where the humidity is high and the lights are low. (Atlantic/Warner) Jacqui Picone

accomplished solo artist in his own right Lee Ranaldo put his time in lockdown to good use, recording a four-part instrumental piece titled In Virus Times . Recording from his Manhattan home, the 22-minute- long piece has Ranaldo armed with just a trusty acoustic guitar, notes plucked so that the resonance of their sound creates an ambient affect. The piece feels largely spontaneous, Ranaldo repeating notes before suddenly changing course, the sound of his body shifting caught on mic alongside sirens, street noise and faraway conversations. A still-life captured in a time of great upheaval, Ranaldo has weaved a moving sonic tapestry that immerses listeners into his world.

(Mute/PIAS) Holly Pereira

28 NOVEMBER 2021

jbhifi.com.au