STACK #219 January 2023

REVIEWS MUSIC

FEATURE ARTIST

Cut Copy In Ghost Colours (vinyl reissue) Melbourne’s electronic pop pioneers Cut Copy have reissued their groundbreaking sophomore record In Ghost Colours , re pressed on a startling cyan blue vinyl for fans new and old alike. Recorded between the band’s native Melbourne and NewYork City’s DFA studios (home to the likes of James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem) it’s hard to believe that the album came out nearly 15 years ago given its lasting appeal. Of course, it would be remiss not to highlight the serotonin-rush of Lights & Music , a heady concoction of pulsating synths and intoxicating vocals. With each song transitioning into the next, the album feels like one long, immersive piece of music which takes hold of you and doesn’t let go. (Modular) Holly Pereira Queens of the Stone Age ...Like Clockwork (vinyl reissue) Dark, dirty and elevated to triumphant heights by Josh Homme’s spitting growl, 2013's seminal … Like Clockwork is a record built for grimy, sweaty bars where the lights are tinted red, and the beer is cheap – and it's just been reissued on two different coloured vinyl variants. Characterised by their signature stomping drums and exemplary riffs, Queens of the Stone Age’s sixth record struts down the street and dares you to look at it the wrong way. Switchblade-sharp lyrical work swaggers into driving rhythms and Homme’s undeniable charisma looms large over the entire album. Undeniably their best record since the storming Songs for the Deaf , QOTSA show once again that sometimes you really just can’t beat a superb rock record. (Matador) Jacqui Picone

Creedence Clearwater Revival Willy and the Poor Boys (vinyl reissue) While it took Creedence Clearwater Revival eight frustrating years before they hit paydirt in 1967, they made up for lost time by releasing seven albums within four heady years. Those seven include five that made the US top ten, and 14 consecutive top ten singles, featuring band leader, guitarist, singer, and producer John Fogerty's political and socially conscious lyrics. Willy and the Poor Boys – reissued this month on JB-exclusive, bright red vinyl – includes the songs Down on the Corner (from which the album got its name), counter culture anti-war anthem Fortunate Son , Fogerty's concern for the working poor in Don't Look Now and two songs, Cottonfields and The Midnight Special , popularised by folk legend Lead Belly. (Craft Recordings) Billy Pinnell

Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo's Factory (vinyl reissue)

Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) gave new meaning to the word ‘prolific’ during a brief tenure between the late '60s and early '70s, in a whirling dervish of songwriting by John Fogerty. The moment in which the band gleamed their absolute brightest (before an inevitable burnout), was on Americana

masterpiece, Cosmo’s Factory . With a metaphoric motor to rival the power and free-spiritedness of a Chevy Camaro gunning down a southern US highway, the songs' locomotive rhythms make the album feel like it's perpetually on the move somewhere. The rockabilly groove of Ramble Tamble and the hard-stomping Travelin’ Band pack a pure and primal energy, while the ominous Run Through the Jungle unnervingly imitates the feeling of being stalked (almost too perfectly, in fact…), before the anthemic Up Around the Bend flips the mood on its head with the band’s triumphant vigour and Fogerty’s foghorn voice. Meanwhile, there's a tranquil aesthetic embodied by the blues-laced, swampy jangles of Who’ll Stop the Rain and Long as I Can See the Light. If this musical smorgasbord wasn’t already satisfying enough, the band manages to deliver one of the quintessential cover versions of R&B classic I Heard it Through the Grapevine ; gritty, edgy, and raw as they come. Then, when the experience gets all too much, the carefree country shuffle of Lookin’ Out My Back Door proffers a chance to kick up your feet, and soak up the world from the front porch – simply marvellous! (Craft Recordings) Alex Burgess

Bob Dylan Fragments - Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996 1997): The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 The latest release in Bob Dylan's highly acclaimed Bootleg Series is a retrospective examination of his 1997 masterpiece Time Out of Mind , which won three Grammys and became his highest charting release in nearly 20 years. Available as a deluxe box set in 5x CD and 10x LP 12" vinyl editions, it follows the evolution of songs written for the album from intimate, early, previously unreleased sessions through renditions that feature a mix of all-star session musicians, in addition to studio outtakes, alternate versions, and live performances. Producer Daniel Lanois truly captured Dylan's vocals at their world weary best on the record's Delta deep blues such as Not Dark Yet , Standing in the Doorway , and the 17-minute finale Highlands . (Sony) Billy Pinnell

Velvet Negroni Bulli

John Cale Mercy Legendary The Velvet Underground member and accomplished musician in his own right John Cale has worked with a slew of collaborators on new album Mercy , including Weyes Blood, Animal Collective, and Fat White Family. His first record of original music in a decade, the now 80-year-old Cale sets the coda for the album with the opening title track, which features avant-garde luminary Laurel Halo. Cale pays tribute to his enigmatic Velvet Underground bandmate Nico on Moonstruck (Nico’s Song) , with an awe-inspiring and cosmic combination of violin and synths. Mercy is the culmination of a prolific 60-year career, evidence of Cale’s genius and enduring legacy as one of the most unique and celebrated artists of his generation. (Double Six/Domino Recordings) Holly Pereira

After a period of massive personal upheaval Minneapolis-raised Jeremy Nutzman, better known by his artist name Velvet Negroni, has turned his trials into an idiosyncratic sonic experience on his second full length release. Minimal electronic compositions are contrasted with upbeat R'n'B, though Nutzman’s sound remains difficult to categorise and seemingly in a genre of its own. The musician's soulful vocal carries this record, his cryptic lyrics delivered with precision. This trait makes the revealing Sinker a curious outlier, Nutzman revealing his struggles with addiction with striking frankness. Bulli is unconventional but still possesses an undeniable pop sensibility that makes it simultaneously compelling and oblique, though repeat spins will reward patient listeners. (4AD) Holly Pereira

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