STACK #152 Jun 2017

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Roger Waters Is This The Life We Really Want? After listening to Roger Waters' first studio album in nearly 25 years, the question he poses in the title will almost certainly be answered with an emphatic NO! Holding up a mirror to what's going on around us has inspired some of Waters' most powerful and insightful songs; there's no disguising his views on the current US President, with lyrics such as "a president with no f-cking brains", "There's a mad dog pulling at the chain", "fear keeps us all in line, fear of all these foreigners" and the Trumpian sound bite "CNN is bad, I won, I won!" - he's pulling no punches. Sensitively produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, U2), this is

London Grammar Truth Is A Beautiful Thing Realistically, London Grammar’s Hannah Reid could be singing utter nonsense and she'd still emit a serenity on par with that of a northern Queensland rainforest waterfall. Thankfully, the English trio’s second record Truth Is A Beautiful Thing is packed with message and meaning; it’s a more personal, reflective album than 2013’s It Can Wait , featuring the group's trademark sumptuous, enveloping sound, and fronted by lead vocalist Reid’s beautifully ambient voice. You’ll cruise through the record’s 11 tracks, with NewYear’s belter Rooting For You only a taste of the goodies in store. Keep an eye out for the poppy production on Big Picture , and beware the hook on Wild Eyed – it’s one of the most intoxicating you’ll hear all year. (Dew Process) Alesha Kolbe Jason Isbell The Nashville Sound Since Jason Isbell parted ways with Drive-By Truckers in 2007, his star has continued to rise as a solo artist, being hailed as one of the most respected and celebrated songwriters of his generation. Reuniting with his band The 400 Unit and Grammy-decorated producer Dave Cobb to record at the legendary RCA Nashville Studio A, these songs reflect on topics from the current cultural and political climate in America, to Isbell's experience of fatherhood and how it's affected his view of the world. Isbell’s writing is loaded with true feeling and honesty, painting pictures of real people and real life. Another exceptional release. (Spunk) Denise Hylands

Bernard Fanning Brutal Dawn After the Civil Dusk comes the Brutal Dawn. Bernard Fanning’s fourth solo album is filled with questions: “Will you lay down beside me and put your skin on mine?” he proposes in opening cut, Shed My Skin ; “How many times can we say we’ve hit the bottom and still find a way further down?” he wonders in How Many Times? ; “How’d we end

up here like souvenirs from another time?” he ponders in Fighting For Air ; and in the break-up ballad In The Ten Years Gone , he asks, poignantly, “With all the thinking that you’ve done, did the answers ever come?” Fanning is joined by some special guests, including Rob Hirst, Clare Bowditch and Wolfmother’s Ian Peres, but his vocal remains the star of the show, bringing his poetry to life. Song for song, Brutal Dawn doesn’t quite match the magic of its predecessor, though In The Ten Years Gone and Somewhere Along The Way , alone, are worth the price of admission. For latecomers, Somewhere Along The Way is an exquisite entry point. With its shuffling beat, it recalls Crosby Stills Nash &Young, with Fanning singing, “Pleased to meet you, I hope our paths cross again.” (Dew Process) Jeff Jenkins

rock music at its highest level. (Sony) Billy Pinnell

Justin Townes Earle Kids On The Street

Pete Murray Camacho Camacho is a strange title for Pete Murray’s sixth album. Google it and you’ll find references to a wrestler, a footballer and a cigar. Maybe the mighty Murray is the Camacho man? His career has certainly been a triumph. Cast your mind back to 2003, Murray’s breakthrough year, when Charlton Hill and David Franj also released albums. Similarly talented, they disappeared without trace, whereas Murray managed to connect with the masses, selling more than one million records. He traverses new territory here, adding some hip beats to his cruisy, sensitive sound. “It’s been such a long ride,” he sings. And it ain’t over yet. (Sony) Jeff Jenkins

Old Crow Medicine Show 50 Years Of Blonde On Blonde (Live) In 2016, Ketch Secor, founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show, was approached with a request by the Country Music Hall Of Fame; they asked him to help the Hall celebrate the 50th anniversary of the making of Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde album in Nashville, where Bob recorded what many believe to be his masterwork. Huge Dylan fans, OCMS – while mostly sticking close to the original arrangements – add a freshness to timeless songs such as Just Like AWoman , I Want You , Absolutely Sweet Marie , Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands , and Visions Of Johanna . (Billy Pinnell) Sony

Justin Townes Earle – yes, son of Steve and carrier of the Van Zandt name – has had a lot to live up to, musically speaking. He’s paved his way as a solo artist with his own distinctive style of blending old sounds of blues, folk and country, and in his effortless way, making them his own. Recording this album outside of Nashville for the first time, he teamed up with producer Mike Mogos (MWard) to record in Omaha, Nebraska. He's living a happier life these days; recently married and expecting his first child, there’s a new outlook present in songs of Nashville days past, love, and family. JTE offers everything you would expect and more. (NewWest Records/Warner) Denise Hylands

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JUNE 2017

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