STACK #217 November 2022

FEATURE MUSIC

close friend and confidante Michael Hohnen assembled the late artist’s stand-out tracks, including a new orchestrally-augmented version of the song which brought Gurrumul’s talent to the world’s attention in 2008, Wiyathul (Longing for Place) . Having released her incredibly gorgeous new EP Meanjin earlier in the year, Gamilaraay singer-songwriter and all-’round adorable woman Thelma Plum has just released this particular collection of sonic gems on JB exclusive pink vinyl! And if you’re hummin’ for more Plum, you can also get your paws on When Rosie Met Monsters (also on JB exclusive pink wax), a beautiful mash-up of the artist’s first two EPs in one divine package. The story of alt-pop talent Meg Mac ’s latest album Matter of Time (released just two months ago, and debuting at number one on the ARIA charts) is one of resilience and personal faith; that she’s managed to deliver a portrait of an artist renewed and re powered is testament to her incisive and ever-curious talent. The LP is available now on JB-exclusive bone coloured vinyl. Thirty years ago, Diesel ’s Hepfidelity earned the man a

the ’50s and 60 thousand years ago,” King Stingray are 2022’s major success story. This irrepressible five-piece deliver unabashed joy with their ”Yol ŋ u surf-rock”, and with two band members descended from co-founders of Yothu Yindi, you know the pedigree is real. The fellas’ self-titled debut is a total must – and we think they’re a shoo-inn for this year’s Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist ARIA Award. Few songs arrest the senses like Goanna ’s classic Solid Rock (Sacred Ground) , and now the album from which it originally came – 1982’s Spirit of Place – has been deservedly reissued. We’re revelling in reliving the group’s social protest-meets-dynamic-rock sounds on this absolute corker of a debut. Another stone cold tour de force reissued this month is 1988’s Big Bad Noise from seminal pub rockers Choirboys , whose triumphant single Run to Paradise (a karaoke stalwart if ever there was one) ensured the band – and the album, which peaked at number five – has remained close to the cockles of Aussie hearts in the decades since. P olyester Girl, Black Bugs, ! (The Song Formerly Known As) , and several more song titles too colourful to name in print: these hip hop-synth-alt-rock diamonds from ’90s rascals Regurgitator are what made the trio’s 1997 LP Unit – now reissued on protein-packed ’egg yolk’ coloured vinyl – a go-to for your collection. Topping the Hottest 100 in 2019 with their hit Confidence , Ocean Alley have injected their fresh album Low Altitude Living with precisely that quality. It’s a distinctly Aussie concoction of modern psychedelia and cruisy rock, and it’s smoother than a baby’s bot-bot. You can get it on regular black vinyl, transparent vinyl, or JB exclusive red and white marbled vinyl. Don’t drop your bagel, but it’s been 30 years since Angie Hart skipped her way along the street where friends and strangers sometimes meet. Double ARIA-winning LP Marvin the Album (which includes that vibrant single Accidently Kelly Street ) by the beloved Frente! is getting an anniversary release this month, inimitable Warumpi Band , the four-piece’s superb 1987 album Go Bush! is also getting the reissue treatment in November. We’re pumped to rediscover the brilliance of Yol ŋ u man and heartstring-plucking musician George Burrawanga (1957-2007) in classics from this LP like the radiant My Island Home and jaunty earworm Jailanguru Pakarnu (Out from Jail) . With the recent passing of captivating talent Olivia Newton-John last month, we’ve been reminded just how seminal her influence was on our understanding of the international pop landscape across the ’70s and ’80s. The 45th anniversary edition of the singer’s 1977 Greatest Hits album has just dropped, and it’s an exquisite offering of Our Livvy’s best work featuring a huge 20 tracks from 1971 to 1976 (including I Honestly Love You ). which includes six unreleased tracks. In very exciting news for fans of the

Thelma Plum

Photo: George Wallace

Photo: Isaac Brown

Meg Mac

number one spot on the charts, two ARIAs, and major critical acclaim. The anniversary edition of the album arrived earlier this year; it includes a bevy of gorgeous new tracks which slip

Diesel

Photo: Jess Lizzotte

effortlessly into the Hep world and are guaranteed to intoxicate, including the Prince pawed Mercurial Girl and saunteringly carnal closer Piece of You . You’ve gotta admire commitment to a pun, and These New South Whales have been

King Stingray

These New SouthWhales

Photo: Luke Henery

Photo: Lawrence McCrab

Goanna

Regurgitator

rocking that band name – along with their brand of irony-infused punk

Photo: Tony Mott

rock – for more than half a decade now. The hilarious Sydney foursome show they’ve more than trampled any ’gimmick’ label and

Choirboys

Ocean Alley

Photo: Kane Lehanneur

ascended into truly admirable musicianship with the brilliant new album TNSW , out later this month. Thrashing out ”the hits from

Olivia Newton-John

Frente!

Warumpi Band

Photo: Michelle Day

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