STACK #142 Aug 2016

REVIEWS MUSIC

DINOSAUR Jr.

GL Touch

Beaty Heart Till The Tomb

It was love at first listen when the superduo GL introduced themselves via their Love Hexagon EP back in 2014. Ella Thompson and Graeme Pogson were already extremely well known for their superlative output through other projects, but GL offered a fresh way to share their passion for boogie, funk, soul, new jack swing, new wave and disco alongside modern beats and club sounds. Touch is their anticipated debut, and combines all this and more. It's a moving manifesto for the mind, body and soul to follow: sophisticated dancefloor material meets immersive headphone music. (Inertia) SimonWinkler

There’s an edge and exuberance to the new album from South London trio Beaty Heart. Till The Tomb documents a time of personal and artistic transformation for the bandmembers, and follows their debut Mixed Blessings with an even greater range of styles, drawing on hip hop, modern groove, and experimental pop. Each track is thoughtfully and playfully constructed on a bed of beats, bass, synths, and layered vocals, with lyrics addressing the struggles and joys of creative expression. One of many shining moments on the album arrives in the form of Raw Gold , co-produced with friends, touring partners and modern pop visionaries Jungle. (Caroline) SimonWinkler

Bug (1988) Although You're Living All Over Me from the previous year was enormously influential (on grunge and indie rock bands in the '80s and early '90s), this third album breakthrough wound up the jangle, noise, pop and folk-rock. Very accessible. The last of the original line-up with Barlow. Green Mind (1991) NewYork rock critic Robert Christgau was never a fan and dismissed this as "grunge on pot" – which it may well be. But it is also (aside from being all but a Mascis solo album after Barlow's departure) a pretty thrilling ride of reductive rock and Mascis' take on country-rock. Flying Cloud is a lovely dreamy ballad. On pot, of course. Hand It Over (1997) The last before the lengthy break, this collapsed pop, metal- noise, massive chords and Mascis' own take on slacker folk-rock (as unique as Neil Young's, whose spirit is conjured up on Alone ) with colour from strings and horns, and some guest singers. Recommended. I Bet On Sky (2012) From their second life (Barlow back in the ranks), this showed they'd lost none of their fire power and power-rock ( Rude ) but it also embraced their widescreen folk-rock ( Almost Fare which Cobain might have admired and sung) and Mascis' archetypal melancholy ( Stick A Toe In ). Either a return to form or them revisiting old tropes. You decide. Hard to believe, but Dinosaur Jr first formed over 30 years ago.They've been helmed by sole constant, singer-guitarist J. Mascis – although co-founder and bassist Lou Barlow, who left after the first five years, rejoined when the band was resurrected after an eight year hiatus ending in late 2005. A long and productive career... so where to start? And also... Mascis' solo career has presented some interesting albums, notably Free So Free (2002, with The Fog) and Tied To Star (2014). Barlow's career with the lo-fi Sebadoh and Folk Implosion are worth checking out, especially Sebadoh.

MUSIC

ZHU Generationwhy

Aphex Twin Cheetah EP Despite Aphex Twin’s Richard D James taking 13 years between albums, comeback release Syro netted him a Grammy in 2014 and reaffirmed him as one of electronic music’s most thrilling contemporary producers. It’s his oppositional nature: even as his earlier melodic experiments inspire the likes of Beyonce, on Cheetah he goes sparse. Metronomic clicks and rubbery bass squanches give scant definition to the space, and there’s no attempt to make these instruments sound like anything familiar; they're as arcane as the esoteric synth referenced in Cheetah ’s marketing. That all changes on CIRKLON3 , the closest we come to the funkier elements of James’s catalogue. Even at EP length, James remains an expert at evoking a lot from miniscule spaces. (Inertia) Jake Cleland

The music of Grammy-nominated Steven Zhu is a reasonable mix of Calvin Harris and Flume – even if you don't know his name, you'd probably recognise his 2014 hit Faded . Now he’s back with his latest album Generationwhy , which is already drawing comparisons to Daft Punk. If that isn’t thought provoking enough for you, this record also features DJ Khaled on IAM , so prepare for another one of his keys to success. Fans of Zhu and Skrillex's collab hit Working For It will love Electrify Me , and the rest of this substantiated deep bounce is enough to keep any long-time fan or newcomer at peace. He’s workin’ hard for the money, he want it all. (Sony) Alesha Kolbe

For more interviews, reviews and overviews from Graham Reid visit www.elsewhere.co.nz

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