STACK #146 Dec 2016

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MUSIC REVIEWS

A.B. Original Reclaim Australia Reclaim Australia is a political

John Cale Fragments Of A Rainy Season (Reissue) Following his time in the Velvet Underground, John Cale made a career out of leading classical music astray. Where his fellow composer Lou Reed made several nods towards the avant garde up until his death, Cale enveloped music’s longest standing traditions and turned them to his own ends. Originally recorded during a solo tour throughout 1992, Fragments makes the most of Cale's piano and voice, veering from Springsteenian odes to downtempo ballads; Cale plays in the high notes and lets his vocals fill in the lower register. At 28 tracks, there’s an expectation Fragments is for Cale fanatics only, but its compositions are so beautifully realised that any ear will find it enthralling. (Domino) Jake Cleland

bomb drop from the title down. In reclaiming the title phrase itself – “Reclaim Australia” has threatened to become synonymous with xenophobic, racist factions of the Australian population – A.B. Original’s dual MCs Briggs and Trials wield humour and heavy bass to shred white Australia. That this album is necessary is heartbreaking for what it says about the world. Samples of politicians talking about Indigenous Australians as “savages” don’t feel like an anachronism, they feel miserably current, and Archie Roach opening the album by reflecting on the civil rights fight makes it clear: however long folks have been fighting, far too little has changed. (Golden Era/Universal) Jake Cleland

Metallica Hard-wired... To Self-Destruct Since hitting pay dirt in 1991 with Metallica

(AKA 'The Black Album'), the band that so many championed between 1983 and1988 have been on a slow, trying decline. Now after an eight-year wait, Metallica present us with the 2-CD set, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct . The initial singles, Hardwired , Moth

Into Fire and Atlas, Arise! were surprisingly solid and despite a dip here and there, this album maintains a consistency not heard in decades. It appears as if Metallica had something to prove this time around – not just to their fanbase and peers, but to themselves and the legacy that the albums Kill ‘Em All , Ride The Lightning , Master Of Puppets and …And Justice For All created. Monoliths such as Metallica may never push the envelope as they once did, but if Hardwired…To Self-Destruct is any indication of the fire that has been re-lit in their collective bellies, then I hope it burns for a while longer. A 3-CD deluxe edition is also available, with three bonus cover versions, the 2016 version of Lords Of Summer , a nine-song live set recorded at Rasputin Music and a live version of Hardwired . (Universal) Simon Lukic

A Tribe Called Quest We Got It From Here... Thanks 4 Your Service The comeback album is a difficult mountain to climb, but We Got It From Here embodies the classic Tribe sound: a warm and crisp blend of US east coast hip hop and jazz, mixed and mastered immaculately. Instead of digging through old mixes to find the late Phife Dawg’s verses, the group recruited some friends to complete the album. Andre 3000 pops up on Kids (in his best work since Stankonia ), Anderson .Paak adds the smoothest voice of 2016 to Movin’ Backwards , and Kendrick Lamar appears on Conrad Tokyo. The album is a reminder of why ATCQ are so well-respected. It isn’t a wake or an eulogy, it’s a celebration – one final mic drop. (Sony)Tim Lambert

Frank Iero and the Patience Parachutes

Rodriguez Rodriguez Rocks: Live In Australia

Neil Young Peace Trail

Young wrote and recorded Peace Trail six months after the release of Earth , and like its predecessor, his new album tackles social and environmental injustices head on. Backed by session musicians including drummer Jim Keltner and bass guitarist Paul Bushnell, Young pulls no punches getting stuck into racism, biased media reporting, unlawful police shootings and his support of Native American protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Minimal and often unrefined, the music swings wildly from acoustic arrangements to some of Young's most primitive guitar and harmonica sounds. This is powerful, uncompromising rock music from someone who really cares. (Warner) Billy Pinnell

Frank Iero has mad charisma. In case you haven’t been fortunate enough to be privy to his evolution already, Iero has grown to be so much more than the ‘guitarist from My Chemical Romance,’ no matter how many people insist on still referring to him as such. Parachutes is just as delightful as the man himself, if not infinitely more raw and vulnerable (see I’ll Let You Down and I’m A Mess ) than you would ever believe the Frank Iero character to be. Colourful even in the face of melancholy, Iero has delivered a strong second LP. (Vagrant/CookingVinyl) Emily Kelly

The enigma immortalized in THAT doco we all cried over; Rodriguez has vocal chords immune to age or punishment. Recorded during his Oz tour in 2014 (apparently eons ahead of his most recent), it’s clear that his sing-along ballads of bittersweet love and observation transcend the myth to still touch our inner child. All the staples are here including I Wonder and Sugar Man , as well as Sinatra’s Learnin’ The Blues and Jefferson Airplane’s Somebody To Love , just to mix it up and show off his taste and ability. Crappy cover art and a somewhat flat production value aside, this is still a Sunday arvo treat to wipe away fears of the

working week ahead. (Inertia) Chris Murray

DECEMBER 2016

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