STACK #229 November 2023

MUSIC REVIEWS

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FEATURE ARTIST

FEATURE ARTIST

Sufjan Stevens Javelin Sufjan Stevens knows how to speak in beauty, taking the morose and turning it into a rainbow. Javelin sails through the soundwaves and weaves its way through your bloodstream 'til it finds the four-chambered resting place it was searching for. The artist's tenth solo album is for avid Stevens fans; Javelin is OG Sufjan, giving The Age of Adz

The Kills God Games A sinister drone introduces opener New York . Then a sparse drum-machine beat enters before Jamie Hince wrenches a dirty, distorted riff from his guitar to usher in the effortlessly cool, bluesy swagger of Alison Mosshart’s distinctive vocals: “Hey, you taste just like New York/ Before a storm takes hold…” Hince and Mosshart both added to their skill sets

(2010) vibes and even some of The Ascension (2020) – but without the deliberate restraint. There’s no holding back here, as Javelin feels like we’ve come home to our favourite self-loathing poet, ready to bathe in his deprecation. Opening track Goodbye Evergreen suggests we're embarking on an album of lullabies for adults, but – hold the phone! Waiting in the wings is a cacophony of instruments that are not behaving with each other, yet – holy bejeezus – why does it work? Following not far behind, Stevens asks us Will Anybody Ever Love Me? (surely he’s basking in the rhetoric?). He entreats us to pledge allegiance to his burning heart, and it’s just so damn lovely – a right earworm. Sh-t Talk is lyrical genius: real talk for grown-ups and enveloped in classic Sufjan. In closer There’s a World (a cover of Neil Young's 1972 track), we're delivered delicate female harmonies. Closing with a cover is brave, humble, and ultimately honouring, and the song offers an upbeat lightness far from typical of Stevens. Javelin 's tracklisting is so perfectly put together you’re left wondering if it was assembled by the casting agent of Succession . (Asthmatic Kitty) Trista McConville

before creating their sixth record: Hince taught himself how to use ProTools and encouraged Mosshart “to buy this 100-dollar keyboard and try to write”; we’re tipping Mosshart used this instrument to create the juvenile, cute-yet creepy, The Addams Family -esque keys hook that adds levity to the dark and sinister Wasterpiece : “You’re VIP in the hall of fame/ I’m RIP on the walk of shame…” Wow, we certainly hope they paused to celebrate that stroke of lyrical genius! Of the cacophonous LA Hex , Hince has said: “It came from me standing in the street corner in LA at 2am trying to get home, and hearing all these cars passing. You’d hear trap music in one car, and the other way, you’d hear mariachi music, and then the other way you’d hear some rock’n’roll.” This song even features a choir – hang on, is this really The Kills? Here, Hince’s whispers echo Mosshart’s main vocal line – their words falling in unison like twin selves – and this tandem vocal delivery is a recurring motif throughout God Games , with warped brass accents also infusing many album tracks. The album was recorded in an old church; initially nervous about the lack of guitar parts, Hince eventually surrendered to whatever would best serve each song. And that’s what makes God Games so biblical. (Domino) Bryget Chrisfield

FEATURE ARTIST

FEATURE ARTIST

The Rolling Stones Hackney Diamonds The ageless octogenarian rock’n’roll rebel gang’s first album of original material in 18 years, produced by the in-demand Andrew Watt, features both Stevie Wonder and Elton John on piano. So

Troye Sivan Something to Give Each Other

In July of this year, club DJs realised that the dancefloor-filler crown which Padam

Padam had enjoyed for the last two months would have to be shared with the noggin of a new Oz grown stunner: Troye Sivan's Rush . The thumping, piano-stabbed dance track

who picks up the Charlie Watts’ sticks? Steve Jordan, who was hand-picked by the band’s late, great drummer to fill in for him on what was originally expected to be a temporary basis. Angry seems like an impending divorce song, featuring jangly tambourine flourishes to offset the rage; gotta love a whispered “one-two three-four” intro, and ears can familiarise with the singer’s timbre alone. And that’s a Start Me Up -level infectious riff – classic Keef! Bite My Head Off features Paul McCartney's unexpectedly vibratory, distorted bass solo, which deals downright dirty riffs (think: Queens of the Stone Age) as a voice tease-coaxes, “Come on, Paul, let’s hear something.” Yep, we’re fully invested – reach for the repeat button! Elton’s distinctive honky-tonk piano goes off on Live by the Sword – we can see the reflected sparks flying all a-blur from his multi-ringed, bejewelled fingers. Meanwhile, the beginning of Sweet Sounds of Heaven evokes You Can’t Always Get What You Want , with cymbal-heavy percussion and guitar noodling. “No, I'm not, not goin' to Hell/ In some dusty motel," Lady Gaga belts to almost bursting point: spiritual stuff. Head online to read our full track-by-track of this glittering release. (Universal) Bryget Chrisfield

with the irresistible gang-vocal chorus (“I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch”) came with a spectacular video directed by Gordon von Steiner, the Canadian-British filmmaker and photographer renowned for his editorial videos for elite campaigns like Hermès Ski, Versace Man FW22, and Dior Rouge. “ Rush is the feeling of kissing a sweaty stranger on a dancefloor, a two-hour date that turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer,” Perth-raised Sivan said of the instant hit. “All of my experiences from a chapter where I feel confident, free, and liberated; independent, yet somehow the most connected to the music and community around me.” It's a spot-on description of the energy that Sivan's new album – Something to Give Each Other – is serving. It's the singer-songwriter actor-model's third LP (after 2015's Blue Neighbourhood and 2018's Bloom ) and is full of heart-splitting moments delivered via the thumping thrill of the club. If Sivan doesn't take home any pointy statues from his massive six nominations at the 2023 ARIA Awards, we'll eat our sequinned hat. (EMI) ZKR

44 NOVEMBER 2023

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