STACK #140 Jun 2016

REVIEWS MUSIC

Tegan and Sara Love You To Death Whatever happened to those raggedy alt-rock grrrls who came from Canada for a few cosy pub shows in 2003? They just sold out Melbourne's ForumTheatre in 12 hours? Oh. There's been nothing alt about Tegan and Sara since they hooked up with synth-pop overlord Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Ellie Goulding) with Heartthrob in 2012. Album eight is where they turn to plastic completely, processed into shiny pop bytes on a string of open letters to wannabe-, almost- and ex-girlfriends that sulk and rant like eternal teens. Lord knows, they got hooks. Lyrically? Well, sonnets are, like, OMG, lol!!! ;) when 100X and B-W-U are so much easier to text. (Warner) Michael Dwyer

Wabz Sleep Less Wabz is a wunderkind, a producer who’s spent the past few years carving a niche in the dynamic local music scene. There are strong references to innovators of the past in his carefully constructed beats: traces of the early UK garage scene, echoes of the pirate radio dubstep underground. But there’re also signs of the new and the next in his forward thinking rhythms. After the absorbing Argyle debut LP, Sleep Less is a further showcase of the Melbourne artist’s avant- styles. It’s an appropriate name for the hazy, dubbed-out, insomnia- filtered atmospheres on offer here. Wabz’ shadowy beats have a nocturnal feel, a minimalism and a tension that’s tempered by their soothing melodies and subdued tones. (Solitaire) SimonWinkler

Radiohead A Moon Shaped Pool A Moon Shaped Pool reveals a band still

completely fascinated by the properties of sound. Radiohead want to show the plastic bones or wooden heart or optic-fibre veins of the noises they create, even if those things seem scary – there’s a constant tug of war between the horror of the familiar and the beauty of the bizarre. Although

piano and strings are the stars on this release, there are contemplative pockets and fervid layers in which other things emerge or take over: the swoop and chop of reversed vocals and percussive instruments, electronic plinks like celestial windchimes, and vocals which confirm ThomYorke’s talent for turning routine phrases into oddly disturbing maxims. Tinker Tailor... showcases the sublime peculiarities of orchestral strings; Identikit ’s curt rimshots threaten to spill over into deep floor toms, and The Numbers uses bells and low piano chords to drive its message: Yorke sings with steely calm, “The future is inside us, it’s not somewhere else, take back what is ours.” For all the cosmic hallmarks, A Moon Shaped Pool seems to be terrestrial – it’s a message about our place here and how tenuous and charmed it is, as well as our responsibilities to the soil under our feet. Its title suggests that although we can see into the sky, and we see its beauty, it’s a reflection of earthly magic. (Remote Control/Inertia) Zoë Radas

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