STACK #121 Nov 2015

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Rowland s. howard Six Strings that drew blood “I ’ve been contemplating suicide, but it really doesn’t suit my style.”Walking a tightrope between teenaged nihilist and droll underworld dandy, Rowland S. Howard made some entrance back in 1977. Given the melodramatic flourish of Nick Cave, Shivers would become an underground classic as theYoung Charlatans’ guitarist fell into a distinguished company that would soon be called The Birthday Party.That was just the beginning of a tortuous road that this lovingly selected double-disc anthology describes, from key roles with Crime and the City Solution and Nikki Sudden, to control of his own destiny at last inThese Immortal Souls, then two classic solo albums that preceded his premature death in late 2009.To say the least, there’s quite a historic narrative between the near-comical new wave bleat and stab of the Boys Next Door’s After a Fashion and Howard’s sweetly doom-laden duet with Adalita on Magic Dirt’s 2009 swansong, Summer High . An earlier duet with Lydia Lunch, Lee Hazelwood’s Some Velvet Morning , is also included here in all its dark and twisted magic. The revelation for most is likely to be the grinding and clamouring brilliance ofThese Immortal Souls, the late ‘80s/ early ‘90s band that focused Howard’s energies so spectacularly, whether in the exhilarating crash of Insomnicide or the slow- spiralling dissolution of Black Milk . But the lion’s share of the compilation, and of the glory, lies in the last ten-song stretch of tunes from Teenage Snuff Film and Pop Crimes – two albums of high drama and magnificent noise that find him at the height of his powers as a unique singer/guitarist, wry romantic and apocalyptic visionary. A 36-page booklet of photos, doodles and handwritten gags and musings complete a vivid portrait of a talent that will probably be remembered in the shorthand of history as “wasted”.These couple of score songs, at least, beg to differ. Michael Dwyer (Liberation/Universal)

FLoyd’s River ends

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour (left) and Nick Mason (right).

P ink Floyd have

But, in typically enigmatic style, guitarist David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason of Pink Floyd have been working furtively on a largely instrumental project dubbed The Endless River. However, Gilmour confirmed that this really will be the final studio album, telling the BBC “It’s a shame, but this is the end” last month.While the album doesn’t feature any contribution fromWaters (who issued a rather grumpy edict about it on Facebook recently), it includes a vocal contribution from legendary UK physicist Stephen Hawking, on Talkin’ Hawkin’. Tellingly, the new album however, does include music written by late keyboardistWright. Gilmour and Mason have dug up several pieces of instrumental music featuring their late colleague, and added to it over the last 12 months. Over 20 hours from 1994’s Division Bell project

have had parts added, edited or reworked, although some of the Wright-related material dates all the way back to 1969.The four-sided album is entirely instrumental, barring one track entitled LouderThanWords, with lyrics written by Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson. Pink Floyd have always been noted for their visual imagery. However, Hipgnosis designer Storm Thorgerson passed away in 2013, so this new image (below) was created by 18-year-old digital artist Ahmed Emad Eldin, after it was discovered by Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell,Thorgerson’s original partner in Hipgnosis.

been through many incarnations in the last

50 years. Co-founder and main songwriter Syd Barrett, who died in 2006, left the band in 1968. Later on, RogerWaters – who led the band through their ’70s heyday and classics like Dark Side of the Moon, Wish YouWere Here and TheWall – left, quite acrimoniously, in 1985. After the remaining members toured the world and released A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994), things went quiet. Barring a reunion withWaters for Live 8 in 2005, and a brief appearance at a Syd Barrett tribute in 2007, Pink Floyd have not played live or released a studio album in 20 years. After the death of keyboardist RichardWright in 2008, and the refusal of several lucrative tour offers, Pink Floyd had long been assumed to have finished up.

The Endless River by Pink Floyd is out now on Sony Music.

NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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