STACK #140 Jun 2016

MUSIC REVIEWS

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PAUL SIMON

Flume Skin Flume manages to prove his talent time and time again. Harley Streten is a Sydneysider with a passion for smart electro-pop – one that's glued the public to his side, resulting in four of his tracks making Triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2012. Known just as much for his remixes as for his singles – no doubt you’ve heard his take on Hermitude’s

His recording career started over half a century ago and his new album Stranger to Stranger is his 13th studio outing under his own name. So – setting aside his work with Art Garfunkel and assuming you already have Graceland – where to start with Paul Simon?

Hyperparadise or Lorde’s Tennis Court – Flume’s second LP promises great things. Never Be Like You is already doing the rounds, and resonates with its plea to “Please just look me in my face, tell me everything’s okay," while Tove Lo’s feature on Say It genuinely shows just how far this little garage rocker has come. The electricity ripples through opener Helix , however there’s a thoughtful deceleration at When Everything Was New that suggests perhaps a new direction for the producer. These instrumental tracks are a change for ol’ Harley, inviting us into an imaginarium of our own creation. Skin ’s closer, Tiny Cities , featuring Beck – yeah, that Beck – combines that new, slower pace with Flume's distinctive beats and rhythms that’ve been around since Hyperparadise . There’s no doubting it – he’s holdin’ on. (Future Classic) Alesha Kolbe

There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) He'd enjoyed a successful self-titled solo album (after the Simon and Garfunkel break-up) with the hits Mother and Child Reunion and Me and Julio , but here he confidently extended his interest in music beyond pop/folk/rock and scooped up influences from the Caribbean ( Take Me to the Mardi Gras ), doo-wop/gospel (the Dixie Hummingbirds on She Loves Me Like a Rock ) and classical music (Bach on the insightful American Tune ). St Judy's Comet is a lovely, self- referencing lullaby and the melody of Tenderness could have come from the '40s. Nice stuff. Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) Jammed with radio-friendly songs (the title track, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover and Gone At Last with Phoebe Snow), this was also typically reflective ( My Little Town , Night Game ) and political ( Silent Eyes is about Israel being in the crosshairs). The execution is impeccable (jazz musicians and Patti Austin) and Simon – again – had something to say about himself and our world. Surprise (1996) On this companion to its excellent predecessor You're The One , Simon again made the personal (family, self-doubt, disillusionment) into universal concerns. Yet he was also ambivalent, evocative and dryly witty. His comeback was complete after just two disappointing albums in the '90s ( Rhythm of the Saints and The Caveman ). Brain Eno provided sonic effects and the players included Bill Frisell, Herbie Hancock and Steve Gadd. At 64 he was still pushing himself. So Beautiful or So What (2011) By this point many perhaps felt they'd had enough Simon in their lives already. But they missed this slow-burner which sounds as current as newspaper headlines, woven through with stories and questions, and – as on Graceland – his astute lyrics and voice were just part of the world- music textures. Mortality might have been on his mind (he was 70) but he came alive on this release. Recommended.

MUSIC

Air Twentyears The term ‘chill-out’ is bandied about constantly, usually referring to inane softcore R&B one hears in a café which charges $30 for eggs on toast… but not with Air. The self-proclaimed French Band duo have delivered silky tones to the ear canals for indeed two decades, as well as a soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s film The Virgin Suicides (amazing) and dabbles in more upbeat offerings to varying success. Spread over three discs, this an exhaustive journey through rain- soaked pleasure, rare ditties and live odds and sods. They float, they soar; escape into bliss (Warner) Chris Murray

Mumford & Sons Johannesberg EP

If you came expecting an abundance of banjo (which most probably did), you may be disappointed. However, the departure from the stringed beast is a welcome direction for Mumford & Sons, as Johannesburg takes listeners on a journey despite the language barrier. Conceived and recorded while on tour in South Africa, the EP was produced with the help of Baaba Maal, Beatenberg and The Very Best, and you can definitely see where its roots lie. Johannesburg is only five tracks long, but each packs its own punch and demands to be heard. (Dew Process) Alesha Kolbe

And also... His debut solo album The Paul Simon Songbook, recorded in London in 1965, contains seeds of genius ( I Am a Rock, The Sound of Silence, etc) and is worth attention. There are also many compilations (notably last year's Ultimate Collection which included some S&G songs) if you want to cheat, but Paul Simon's albums are best appreciated in their entirety.

For more interviews, reviews and overviews from Graham Reid visit www.elsewhere.co.nz

JUNE 2016

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