STACK #151 May 2017

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Pond The Weather The Weather marks a significant shift in Pond’s sound, utilizing more synths more subtly than ever before. 30000 Megatons opens the album with a mysterious synth, building slowly to create a wall of sound. We hear the first guitar three minutes in, suggesting that the band are leaning away from their psychedelic roots. Paint Me Silver is a glorious pop romp which is followed by Colder Than Ice which has one of the band’s three songwriters Jay Watson singing alongside a smooth saxophone. Edge of the World Pt. 1 pairs visceral lyrics with a sharp synth, and transforms mid-way to become an entirely new song. Zen Automation starts off serenely, but as it unfolds Nicholas Allbrook’s anger emerges, along with the intensity that underlies the album. There’s a lot to be said for a band that manage to sound different with every release, but this is something that Pond seem to do effortlessly. (EMI) Holly Pereira

Bliss n Eso Off The Grid

Bliss n Eso are back in town with their sixth studio album, Off The Grid – the follow-up to 2013’s Circus In The Sky . The Aussie hip hop trio are hitting harder than ever with this record, with lyrics like "Music allows us to give you something/ when it hits home it could stop a kid from jumping" on just the second track in, setting the weighty scene right from the get-go. You’ve already had glimpses of how heavy the thematic concerns of Off The Grid can get, with Friends Like You and Dopamine ; and the rest of the record catalogues everything from alcohol and substance abuse to trying to be better role models for their fans and families. Prepare to tumble through one of B n E’s best yet. (Liberation) Alesha Kolbe

Kendrick Lamar DAMN. Damn – they better start carving Kendrick Lamar’s face into hip hop’s Mount Rushmore. Following the huge success of 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly , Kendrick Lamar transcended rap and became a symbol – for black lives, social awareness, faith and activism. DAMN. is Lamar’s struggle with mortality and his legacy. K-Dot has gone back to

the trap-heavy, classic hip hop beats heard in early projects like Section.80 and good kid, m.A.A.d city ; he focuses less on conceptual musical themes than he did on TPAB , and instead throws sonically incongruous elements together to narrate exactly how he is feeling. On FEEL. the 29-year-old weighs in on crushing expectations: “I feel like the whole world wants me to pray for them, but who is praying for me?” He definitely hasn’t lost his faith in God, but you can feel his angst toward society. Yes, the lyrical content is deep, but not at the expense of the banging beats and instrumentation we know Kung Fu Kenny can produce: LOYALTY. featuring Rihanna is a slow-jam floor-filler, HUMBLE. is turn-up music in the realest sense, and XXX is for the hip hop purists. Closing tracks FEAR . and DUCKWORTH. are the most authentic storytelling we’ve ever heard from Lamar, and as the final beats loop seamlessly back into the first, you’ll be ready for another listen. (TDE/Interscope)Tim Lambert

Arch Enemy As The Stages Burn! Recorded at the mecca for

Clowns Lucid Again Like a knife at a gunfight,

Kasabian For Crying Out Loud Okay, which one of you

The Doomsday Kingdom The Doomsday Kingdom Leif Edling is best known as the bassist and primary songwriter for Sweden’s Candlemass – a band which, aside from Black Sabbath, is arguably the greatest doom metal group of our time. Edling is currently on leave as a touring member of Candlmass due to chronic fatigue syndrome, but this hasn’t stopped him from following his muse. The Doomsday Kingdom doesn’t find Edling straying too far from his roots, but his health concerns have no doubt added to the ominous, brooding feel of the album. Edling has dubbed himself 'The Doomfather' here, and there is no more fitting a name for a man that I would consider one of the

underrated Melbourne punks Clowns don’t pull any punches on their ball-busting third record, Lucid Again – their best work to date. New members Hanny J on bass/vocals and Will Robinson on guitar add a new dimension, which propels their already extensive punk palette further afield. Ever- present, though, is frontman Stevie Williams’ gravelly squall; like a pack-a-day 80-year-old, Williams barks his way through highlights Like A Knife In A Gunfight , Painful Truth and Pickle . Closer Not Coping is a frenetically sweaty, nine- minute circle pit of scuzzed-out psychedelia. The band’s penchant for chaos in their performances is still alive: Lucid Again nods its head to punk's roots, but without a fleeting moment of nostalgia. (Poison City)Tim Lambert

heavy metal – Wacken Open Air festival, in Germany in 2016 – As The Stages Burn! is a 16-track aural assault. It also serves as a reminder that vocalist Alissa White- Gluz has more than filled the shoes of her predecessor, Angela Gossow. It’s also interesting to hear guitarist Jeff Loomis (ex-Nevermore) let loose on this material; Loomis joined the group's tour during the War Eternal live campaign and his style and energy only adds to the Arch Enemy sound. As The Stages Burn! is available as a DVD/Blu-ray with a truckload of added extras, making it not only a feast for the ears, but the eyes as well. (Century Media/EMI) Simon Lukic

sacrificed yourself to the Gods to make this album happen? It takes all of 10 seconds into opening track III Ray (The King) to bring knees to the ground, and the energy doesn’t let up until the last note expires from your ears. Gone are 48:13 ’s interludes and back is the emphasis on psychedelic guitars. Kasabian’s presence has always felt large, and through new gospel highlights, subtly eerie moments and massive rock bellows, you can feel their electrifying aura in stereo. Tying listeners deer-style to the front of a crazy rock and roll-a-coaster, the English five-piece show no signs of stopping. (Sony) Savannah Douglas

genre's greatest pioneers. (Nuclear Blast/Caroline) Simon Lukic

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MAY 2017

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