STACK #124 Feb 2016

CONTENTS

Pop Goes ‘Pop’ A fter all the furore surrounding Taylor Swift and the question of her inclusion in Triple J’s hottest 100 last month, it strikes me that the line between popularity,

pg 4 The Music Room Electro punks Enter Shikari return with The Mindsweep , Carl Barat releases an album with his band The Jackals before The Libertines reunion, Dylan does Sinatra (really), and more. pg 8-9 Cover Story Mark Ronson’s new album Uptown Special features Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Stevie Wonder and a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist. pg 13 JB HI-FI NOW JB Hi-Fi’s music streaming service: how to get the best from it, and what’s new. pg 14–20 STACK Music Reviews New releases from Marilyn Manson, Sleater Kinney, Perry Keyes, Fall Out Boy, Ryan Bingham, The Punch Brothers, Dream Theater, Seasick Steve, The Mavericks, Purity Ring, Belle and Sebastian and more. pg 22 Reissues Michael Dwyer on the striped sunlight sound of The Go Betweens and more. STACK MUSIC FEBRUARY 2015

commerciality, and so-called hip indie credibility is more blurred than ever. Because of Swift specifically? No. Social media was predictably alight with waves of ‘ayes’ and ‘noes’ on the matter, and while debate raged, the arguments were predictable enough. No, the blurred line is broader. In ye olde days of the music industry,

Image: Courtesy of TED.com

mainstream acts got their breaks via commercial radio airplay, and so indie or alternative acts, who didn’t get on the radio, battled away trying to build a profile through gigs, fliers, friendly press and word of mouth. But fast forward to the post-web 2.0 era, and everyone is playing broadly the same media game – it’s online, it’s about direct audience engagement and getting people to see shows to help invest in music – and there are more bands (or more to the point, VISIBLE bands) vying for the same crowded media corner. Our cover star this month, Mark Ronson, had often left me ambivalent; some great taste in music was obvious, but his clothes were a little too expensive, his drinks cabinet probably just a bit too exclusive, and his haircut just a little too styled for me to relate to the guy as a fan. And while Uptown Special has it’s broadly commercial moments, it draws no line in the philosophical sand. In Ronson’s world there only seem to be two kinds of music: good and bad. Well, I’m with him on that one. If you want a deeper look into Ronson’s world and his take on music, check out his TED talk from 2014 (see above)on sampling – it’s very clever, and very provocative. And those are two things anyone’s music needs to be. Jonathan Alley, Music Editor

THIS MONTH TOM SAYS! Most of us are an original painting, and it’s a mystery to us what is learned and what is borrowed, what is stolen and what is born, what you came with and what you found while you were here.

On My Speakers...

John Ferguson, Jeff Jenkins, Emily Kelly, Simon Lukic, Chris Murray, Denise Hylands, Michael Dwyer, Billy Pinnell,Doug Wallen, Simon Winkler, Ellie the Wonderdog Contributors

Jeff Austin The Simple Truth Americana the way you

The Decemberists What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World Another richly imbued set of rootsy, emotional rock songs with touches of country, loads of harmonies and great playing. Make sure you spend time with it.

Father John Misty I Love You Honeybear Mining a rich vein

of songwriting tradition, Josh Tillman explores the complexities of manhood, singing like a bird the whole time.

love it: horns, soul, humour, southern grit and earthy as hell. Funny, too.

The cover of STACK Music is a promotion for Mark Ronson’s new album Uptown Special by Sony Music.

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifionline.com.au

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