STACK #136 Feb 2016

MUSIC REVIEWS

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DIIV Is The Is Are It’s been three years since DIIV’s debut album Oshin exhumed the sonic virtues of shoegaze and dream pop for a new generation. A three-year hiatus saw singer/ guitarist Zachary Cole Smith being arrested for drug offences, and the band lost drummer Colby Hewitt to a struggle with addiction. While musical references to the debut can be found on their latest double album Is The Is Are – in particular the jangly guitar in first single Dopamine , and opener Out of Mind – there is a darker, more cynical undertone that takes the band to a more expansive sound with Yr Not Far, Valentine and Take Your Time displaying greater maturity and experience. The catchy riffs are still present but Is The Is Are hints at a broadening ambition. (CapturedTracks/Remote Control) Paul Jones

Animal Collective Painting With

The perfect little dual vocal hurdles Avey Tare and Noah Lennox have written for this tropical cocktail of an album are off the planet. It’s dark rum, though. An odd Dadaist perspective links all of the imagery, where deep beats, volleying little croaks, bloated synth fuzz and lab-created sighs mingle with these unique Boosh - like crimps; you can hear how they’ve done it if you focus on one voice at a time, but the effect often sounds like the ‘Voice Oohs’ sound on a Yamaha keyboard. It’s amazing. Golden Gal has such a Regurgitator swagger, and Vertical sounds like Avey’s been squished Stanley-flat and his mouth’s a mere spout. It’s like bright, poisonous bacteria partying in a petri dish and it’s beautiful. (Domino) Zoë Radas

Wolfmother Victorious Cartoon acid visionary Andrew Stockdale woke up with cosmic egg on his face when his psychedelic rock regeneration fell foul of internal ructions and sneery tastemakers circa 2012, briefly benching the retro-tastic Wolfmother brand. What counts beyond the fickle finger of pop hotness is how you pick up and carry on, and after a DIY misstep with 2014's

New Crown , Victorious carries on with a sense of reaffirmation that sounds positively heroic. The middle-fingered defiance of the returning rock warrior propels the swashbuckling lyrics and galloping momentum of the title track and The Love You Give ...but hey, that’s quite enough about what it all means. His 'mother's canny Led Sabbath pastiche is what put Stockdale on the map and ace LA producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Springsteen) didn't come on board to reinvent the Stonehenge. There's an acoustic textured scarf-waver in Pretty Peggy , a modest reliance on generic filler ( Gypsy Caravan ? really?), and one rolled- gold footstompin' '70s classic in Best Of A Bad Situation – complete with widdly-diddly synth licks. As far as the new phase goes, that standout title is a self-fulfilling prophecy. "Victorious" remains to be seen but the odds haven’t looked this good since that scene-stealing debut. (Universal) Michael Dwyer

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Monster Truck Sittin' Heavy Monster Truck are legit, real

Various Ministry Of Sound: Summer Anthems 2016 Have you found yourself in the passenger seat of your best friend’s ride, responsible for the road trip tunes and at a loss as to what to offer the impatient masses? Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself – the Ministry of Sound (and Jess Glynne) have your back. They really aren’t kidding when they call it a collection of 'Summer Anthems'; with a quality and brimming tracklist which includes everything from the Biebs to Galantis, you’re sure to find something for anyone fortunate enough to be at the mercy of your delicious, disc-spinning hands. So go on, let the Duke take you on an Ocean Drive . (Ministry of Sound) Alesha Kolbe

No Zu Afterlife They're calling it "heat beat" and why not? No Zu is a global funk jam band sweating it out in the pressure cooker of a Melbourne recording studio, where barrages of African drums are panned hard left and right and vocals are warped and pitched so Satan can do call-and-response with rope-skipping schoolgirls. Whistles and cowbells, bongo furies and saxophone freak-outs, dub bass and house piano conspire to keep non-stop party people pumping without respite, as jungle birds screech and vintage synths make like many hands clapping. No Zu's words are more decorative than purposeful but hey, like your booty reads lyric sheets. (Chapter Music) Michael Dwyer

The Prettiots Fun's Cool "These are the boys that I dated in highschool/ They weren't very nice and they weren't very cool." Cue name-and-shame file from sexting DJ to prom predator. Cute, clever and in charge, the witty payback of the lead single is a good indicator of this US grrrl trio's debut. From ukulele grunge to '50s flashbacks, The Prettiots' minimal indie pop sidesteps twee even in the romantic desperation of Dreamboy and Kiss Me Kinski . Typical is the way that the one about some hunk off Law & Order redeems itself with the line, "You stepped into the crime scene that was my life." That's class. (RoughTrade) Michael Dwyer

deal rock and roll rulers with an enviable knack for combining hard rock with smooth bluesy swagger. The Canadians are so ballsy and brash that you can almost smell their unwashed, sweat-drenched locks from the opening refrains example of the Truck’s ability to pen effortless hooks, as well as a supreme showcase of vocalist Jon Harvey’s immense vocal talents. You can tell why Alice in Chains and Slash are backing these guys. alone. Lead single Don’t Tell Me How To Live is a shining

Your dad’s gonna love ‘em. (Dine Alone/CookingVinyl) Emily Kelly

FEBRUARY 2016

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