STACK #128 Jun 2016

MUSIC

REVIEWS

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Slaves Are You Satisfied?

Active Child Mercy

Four years after his debut album as Active Child, Pat Grossi still commands tingling harp and quavering vocals. He’s expanded the scope here thanks to producer Van Rivers, lending bigger R’n’B beats to his swooping, crystalline melodies. It’s all absolutely gorgeous, but it can actually be too pristine for its own good. The New Age-y synths and self- harmonising on Never Far Away cross over into cheesiness, while These Arms and the Disney-sounding Too Late overdo it with sentimentality.

It takes some spectacular timing, stacks of chutzpah, a real vision, and some je ne sais quoi to really sneak up on listeners these days, so it’s genuinely exciting to be not just gripped, but positively throttled, by the new album from British two-piece Slaves. Are You Satisfied? thumbs its nose at convention both musically and lyrically. Sounding like Madness meets The Street crossed with The Jam and The Wombats, the duo create one hell of an obnoxious racket – a little bit punk, a little bit rap – but nowhere near as naff as that combination has previously sounded. (EMI/Universal) Emily Kelly

Mark Seymour and the Undertow Mayday What is home? That’s the question Mark Seymour ponders on his ninth solo album and third with The Undertow. Yep, this is a concept album, but there are no easy answers or three-word slogans. This is the story of modern Australia, where it’s “one rule for the filthy rich, another one for the weak", the

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nation is filled with "celebrities and sycophants", desperate people seek asylum, shock jocks are “screamin’”, and musicians are searching for meaning. This is as good as any album Seymour has made. The Undertow might lack numbers (there are only three of them: guitarist and producer Cameron McKenzie, bass player John Favaro and drummer Peter Maslen), but they’re capable of delivering both power and poignancy. One of the many special things about this album is that it showcases both sides of Seymour – it’s strident and sensitive, and both qualities sit comfortably alongside each other. Mayday is deeply moving. “I’m too old for cryin’,” Seymour sings in Irish Breakfast, “but I’m too young to let memories fade.” Elsewhere, he declares, “I got revolution in my head.” The dream is alive. ( Liberation/Universal)

Even for an album of love ballads, it’s a little sappy. (Spunk/Universal) DougWallen

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Judith Owen Ebb and Flow

Torres Sprinter For her second album, Brooklyn- based Mackenzie Scott, AKA Torres, shreds her past and soul on nine gripping songs; some are throbbing with love but latent menace ( Son You Are No Island ), some compelling for quiet intimacy (the seven minute-plus closer The Exchange about a child given up for adoption) and others furious synth'n'guitar-rock, close to poetically revealing Patti Smith and howling Nirvana. Lyrically these songs peel back layers in imagery which is religious, sexual and literary but she also tells stories (two running parallel on A Proper Polish Welcome ) and possesses a rare honesty. One of the year's best. (Inertia) Graham Reid

Tremonti Cauterize

Eilen Jewell Sundown Over Ghost Town It’s been four years since Eilen Jewell’s last studio album, and her fifth, Sundown Over Ghost Town , more than makes up for the wait. Having moved back to her hometown Boise Idaho and become a first-time mum, she offers us her most autobiographical album yet. Jewell’s words paint images of her hometown, memories and new life, while her mesmerising and effortlessly sweet, smoky vocals make you believe she’s singing just for you. With her amazingly talented long time touring band providing their familiar blend of rockabilly, blues, surf, Tex-Mex and country, this is an outstanding album. (Planet/MGM) Denise Hylands

With Cauterize, guitarist Mark Tremonti hopes to capitalise on the success of his debut All I Was. That album focused on his heavier ideas, and riffs that didn’t fit the framework of either Creed or Alter Bridge (his two other, better known entities). Cauterize is reminiscent of Metallica circa The Black Album , with a little … And Justice For All thrown in for good measure. Cauterize, though, is no thrash album and little here will alienate his wider fan base. The centrepiece of the release is Tremonti’s guitar work and Cauterize shows just how much he has grown as a player over the years. (MGM) Simon Lukic

For her tenth album, U.S.-based singer/songwriter/pianist Judith Owen turned for inspiration to Joni Mitchell, Carole King and James Taylor. Motivated by the music of these great artists, she set about writing songs that would reflect the feelings of loss, love, despair and joy she was experiencing after the death of her parents. Backed by drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Leland Sklar and guitarist Waddy Wachtel – who had often recorded with her main inspirers – Owen has created these beautiful, bittersweet songs. Also included is a unique makeover of Mungo Jerry's In the

Summertime. (Planet/MGM) Billy Pinnell

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