STACK #166 Aug 2018

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Tirzah Devotion When you're certain about

Loose Tooth Keep Up Since their inception, Melbourne’s Loose Tooth have been turning heads with their incisive and hook-laden songwriting. Earworms are aplenty on their debut album, with the infectious harmonies from Etta Curry and Nellie Jackson (see Keep On and In The Morning ) steering the band’s high octane rock, while tight basslines from Luc Dawson serve as a steady anchor. Curry’s breathless vocals on You Say are a contrast to Dawson’s breezy voice on Asteroid – one of the album’s more subdued moments. The band remind listeners that music can be unashamedly fun and energetic, and ultimately it’s their audible joy that makes this album such a treat. (Milk!/Remote Control) Holly Pereira Ross From Friends Family Portrait Ross From Friends (aka Felix Clary Weatherall) takes us back to the '90s: warehouse raves, acid house, techno and apartment- based sitcoms set in New York City. It's also the decade when Felix's parents met on a fateful tour of Europe. They had a bus, a mobile soundsystem, a VHS recorder and a will to dance. That same creative drive and sense of adventure is everywhere on Family Portrait . The record pays tribute to influences that surrounded Felix growing up, and serves as a window on the future with its meticulous sound design and experimental arrangements. No coincidence the album finds a home on Brainfeeder, another family of artists dedicated to illuminating new music and ideas. (Brainfeeder/Inertia) Simon Winkler

something you stop being curious. And when you truly pay attention, even the familiar becomes new again. It's this sense of discovery that fills Devotion, produced by Tirzah and her longtime friend and collaborator Mica Levi. The duo explore and redraw the frames of R&B and pop with playful precision. Each of the sounds on this minimalist collection are used for maximum impact: cautiousness, confidence, strength and forgiveness all told in unsteady snare snaps, suspended piano loops, subtle synths and vocal refrains. If we can be certain of anything it's that Tirzah has made one of the most quietly compelling

The Internet Hive Mind The hardest band to search for online is back after a brief hiatus, with some of the slinkiest jams you’ll listen to this year; the time they've taken to stretch their individual creative minds on solo projects has paid huge dividends on Hive Mind . Aptly-titled opener Come Together sums up the neo-soul collective’s fourth effort. At the core of the album

is the five-piece's commitment to leaning into each other's eccentricities: Smith pushes the boundaries of contemporary soul drumming ( Bravo ); Patrick Paige III delivers spine-shaking, hip-flinging basslines ( Beat Goes On ); and Steve Lacy’s sleek riffs are rounded off by funk-whisperer Matty Martians' illuminating beats. While the aforementioned make up the smoothest ride of 2018, that ride can’t go anywhere without a driver, and Syd – with the help of Lacy – cuts lyrical laps on Hive Mind . Seductive jam Stay The Night is a confident come-hither glance across the room, likewise the saucy Come Over . Separately, The Internet are great. But together, they might just be unstoppable. (Columbia/Sony) Tim Lambert

debut albums of the year. (Domino) Simon Winkler

Underworld and Iggy Pop Teatime Dub Encounters Iggy Pop does whatever the hell he wants. Christ, how many of us will ever get to say that? The world’s forgotten boy has outlived the most generous estimations to freak it with Sum 41, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Peaches, Cat Power, whoever turns him on. An entire generation will know him exclusively as a guest vocalist, and here he is freespleening about watching the world change over ragged breakbeats. This is Iggy’s LULU moment but actually coherent, somewhat, and even when it isn’t, it’s fabulously delirious. Look: it’s Iggy Pop speaking over rave throwbacks. You already know if you want it. (Caroline) Jake Cleland

Troye Sivan Bloom

Human Nature Romance Of The Jukebox

Much of the story around Troye Sivan remarks on his youth and coming-of-age. No surprise: despite racking few years on the board, he already sounds world- wise enough to coach those in similar situations. On Bloom , you can still hear the Frank Ocean, but Sivan is determined to sign his own cheques. The genre Ocean helped define was coined PBR&B when Sivan was in high school, but by the time he was out, the form had emerged as essential to queer expression. Sivan, now on stronger footing, asserts himself in a record that’s equally sexy, sensitive, and ideal for the strobe- lit rooms in which Sivan came into his own. (EMI) Jake Cleland

Human Nature fly a little under the radar – perhaps because they spend most of their time in Las Vegas. But there’s no doubt they’re our hardest-working band. It’s disappointing that their recent recording output has been covers (their last original album was 2004’s Walk The Tightrope ), because Little More Love – the single on this, their 13th studio album – shows they can still craft contemporary pop. The rest of the record consists of covers of classic love songs, showcasing their versatile vocals; they’re the best Australian singing group since LRB. Expect this to still be selling come Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day next year. (Sony) Jeff Jenkins

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AUGUST 2018

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