STACK #182 Dec 2019

MUSIC REVIEWS

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The Mavericks Play The Hits Formed in Miami, Florida, The Mavericks are celebrating their 30th expected, this isn’t an album of their hits – but other peoples'. Known for meshing their good-time country, Tex-Mex, Latino, rock'n'roll sound with accordion, horns and Latin rhythms, boy do they play it well. Add to that one of the best voices there is: Raul Malo is the Latino Roy Orbison. What a combo! Giving some of their favourite songs that Mavericks treatment – from hip-swingers to tear-jerking heartbreakers – they interpret hits from Elvis, Bruce Springsteen, Waylon Jennings, and Patsy Cline, making them '11 Golden Greats'. anniversary of making music this year. And as you may've

Regurgitator Quarter Pounder: 25 Years Of Being Consumed If you’re compiling a list of our smartest ’90s bands, Brisbane’s Regurgitator would be at the top, alongside The Fauves and Custard. This compilation celebrates 25 years since the first ’Gurge release. A musical mélange, they were perhaps too subversive for the mainstream (eight of the tracks here come with an explicit language warning), though they did have significant success – four Top 10 albums, seven Top 40 singles and seven ARIA Awards. A thrilling mix of pop, electro, funk and hip hop, they were also capable of rocking as hard as any band, even though they sang, “I dig the rock and roll as much as Peter, Paul and Mary” (a line that still makes me smile). (Warner) Jeff Jenkins

Ben Lee Quarter Century Classix Ben Lee’s new album is a window to the wonderful world of ’90s alternative rock. A mixtape that’s both musical memoir and manifesto, Lee pays tribute to his indie influences. “A magnet in my head,” he sings in opening cut Web In Front , a cover of Archers of Loaf. It’s a search for meaning (“I’m just looking for a faith,” he sings in his take on The Breeders’ Divine

Hammer ) as well as a celebration of falling in love with music. “Any thought could be the beginning of the brand new tangled web you’re spinning,” Lee sings in his version of Sebadoh’s Brand New Love – “Anyone could be a brand new love.” Just one Aussie act gets a look-in (Smudge’s Ingrown ), with Lee focusing on the American artists that changed his life, including Sonic Youth, Superchunk, Pavement and Built to Spill – his sensitive cover of Car is a standout. Speeding Motorcycle is a poignant tribute to Daniel Johnston, who died this year. Covers collections usually lack coherence, but this sounds like a Ben Lee record. And a damn fine one, too, both heartfelt and revelatory. Quarter Century Classix is a love letter to ’90s indie rock by one of its finest practitioners. (NewWest) Jeff Jenkins

(CookingVinyl) Denise Hylands

Xylouris White The Sisypheans

Mirusia Christmas Memories It’s always a challenge finding a CD to play on Christmas morning – something that will satisfy all ages. Brisbane’s Mirusia – who found fame singing with André Rieu – follows her album of Seekers songs with her first Christmas collection. It’s a traditional treat, with Mirusia’s beautifully pure vocal perfect for songs such as Silent Night and Away In A Manger , while Denis Walter’s delightfully deep voice is the ideal counterpoint for their Little Drummer Boy duet. Mirusia also teams up with Luke Kennedy (ex-The Ten Tenors) to cover Rick Price’s modern Christmas gem The Magic of Christmas Time . And she rediscovers the Christmas roots of My Favorite Things . (Fanfare/Sony) Jeff Jenkins

Lloyd Spiegel Cut And Run

Matty T. Wall Transpacific Blues Vol. 1

Sisyphus was an Ancient Greek king who was punished for his sins, forced to forever roll a boulder up a hill. The Sisypheans, the fourth album for Greek lute player and singer Giorgos Xylouris and Dirty Three drummer JimWhite, sounds like a labour of love – an immensely satisfying record that rewards repeated play, with the listener discovering something new with each spin. Again produced by Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, the sound is intimate, but powerful. Like Gurrumul’s work, Xylouris White’s music shows that you don’t have to understand the words to find them moving and meaningful. (ABC) Jeff Jenkins

The third in a trilogy of albums inspired by Spiegel's constant touring reveals a lot about the fortunes of a musician who's been on the road from his early teens, home and away. What I like so much about the singer/songwriter /guitarist is the thought he puts into each song's arrangement. From the blues/rock of Any Second Now and Tokyo Blues , Spiegel moves effortlessly into acoustic mode, accompanying himself on Run and Old Wounds with only his acoustic guitar. Subtle use of trombone and saxophone provide a perfect backdrop on Track Her Down . Long ago Spiegel cemented his spot among music's great blues based singer/guitarists; this album is sure to enhance his already legendary status. (Only Blues) Billy Pinnell

Perth blues-rock guitarist/singer Matty T. Wall has followed up his first two award-winning albums of original material with a collection of eight of his favourite blues classics, five of them featuring guest musicians Wall has long admired. On John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom he's joined by one of his early inspirers from the Perth blues scene, Dave Hole. Eric Gales trades licks with Wall on Tommy Tucker's Hi Heel Sneaker ; on other tracks Wall is joined by Kid Ramos and Kirk Fletcher – who both spent time in the Fabulous Walls doesn't need any help on Robert Johnson's Crossroads and T-Bone Walker's Stormy Monday , two of the album's strongest tracks. Thunderbirds – and former Bluesbreaker Walter Trout.

(Only Blues) Billy Pinnell

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DECEMBER 2019

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