STACK NZ May Issue #62

MUSIC

REVIEWS

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My Morning Jacket The Waterfall This seventh album from the feel-good maestros delves even further into the Christopher Cross landscapes of wind-in-the-hair abandon and boating shoes. Not a bad thing, no matter how dangerously close to a feeling of religious righteousness it skates

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(opener, Believe , a case in point). Jim James is on a mission, plain and simple: cement a legacy of songs to last the test of time, evoking James Taylor, Glen Campbell, et al; the type of stuff truck drivers listen to when sad, and lovers enjoy when smitten. It’s working. Chris Murray Howling Sacred Ground Aussie folktronica artist Ry X and German producer Frank Wiedemann, who first collaborated back in 2012 on the viral dance hit The Howling , have reunited for a full album under the appropriate moniker of Howling. Like Ry X’s other dance side project The Acid, Sacred Ground sets his plaintive tenor against a backdrop of spectral beats and drowsy electronica. Although it occasionally drifts into almost Coldplay territory (particularly on the opening piano-led ballad Signs ) for the most part the duo serve up a stylish platter of quietly intoxicating grooves, like the sleek yacht rock of Stole The Night and a pleasingly punchier reworking of their 2013 collaboration Shortline . John Ferguson

Unknown Mortal Orchestra Multi-Love

Ruban Nielson's gift for a melodic twist coupled with lyrics which say something hasn't deserted him; if anything it has deepened and become more soulful and nuanced on this collection, which refers to Prince-style soul (the opener I Can't Keep Checking My Phone ), deep funk (the brittle danceable pop of

Like Acid Rain ) and dreamy falsetto pop (the title track). There's also broody balladry (the Bacharach-style horn embellishments on Necessary Evil , a standout with its slightly disturbing organ and abrasive guitar part) and much more. What keeps this diversity coherent is the funky bottom end, Nielson's effortless vocal delivery which often sounds intimate (or annoyed), and the pop economy of these nine, discrete songs. The notable exception to the brevity is the seven minute Puzzles which pushes the listener into interesting areas, from its acoustic framing to schizophrenic funk-rock and increasingly angry tone, then back. The spirit of classic Prince and 70s jazz-funk haunts much of this music (no bad thing) but Nielson/UMO twist them into something their own, a kind of musically literate white-boy pop-rock, with its feet on the dancefloor and stars in its slightly jaded eyes. Graham Reid

Graham Reid on interesting albums you may have missed.

Skip Spence Oar

Spence started out as a guitarist in Quicksilver Messenger Service, then was the drummer in the first version of Jefferson Airplane and became guitarist/co-founder of Moby Grape. Quite some SanFran psych-rock career in just three years, but as it unravelled through LSD and psychosis he recorded this bent and disturbing solo outing which catalogues his descent. Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers Chicago blues rarely sounded as raw and vital as on this session where the singer/guitarist did what was essentially his club gig in the studio. Essential and electrifying blues, and the album that founded Alligator Records. Diana Ross Diana By the time of this album Ross' star was in decline after her classic Supremes-soul period, but this brought her back with funk and smart dance-pop ( I'm Coming Out ). Find the 2003 deluxe edition because it has the original recordings with Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernie Edwards which Motown rejected. Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers

Brian Jonestown Massacre Musique De Film Imaginé Anton Newcombe takes a leaf out of the Europhile book of Broadcast and Cat’s Eyes for his latest BJM opus, the first to be recorded in his new home studio base in Berlin. As suggested by the title, it’s essentially a soundtrack to an imaginary French film from the '50s and'60s, consisting mainly of proggy instrumental passages, heavy on the mellotron and strings. The pick of the bunch is Elle S'échappe , which rides along on a faintly funky psychedelic groove; better still are the two vocal tracks, which feature the talents of actress Asia Argento and French chanteuse SoKo, and suggests Newcombe has also been soaking up a lot of Serge Gainsbourg of late. John Ferguson

Django Django Born Under Saturn

It's fair to assume that Django Django's feet are yet to touch the ground since their elevation to 2012's darlings of the indie rock frontier. The evidence is in chapter two: a whooshing and bubbling condensation somewhere in the synth- pop stratosphere. Lyrically, Vincent Neff has had his head in the clouds from the outset, while the polyrhythmic weirdness that first tweaked our attention remain a trademark. All oddball synth textures and off-kilter metrical challenges considered, this is a weird enough twist on the old second album cliché about the never-ending road to uphold Django Django's rep as one of the UK's exports. Michael Dwyer astral trip of an album seemingly formed though an act of creative

For more reviews and interviews by Graham Reid see www.elsewhere.co.nz

MAY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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