STACK NZ Oct #67

MUSIC

REVIEWS

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Bob marley

Robert Forster Songs To Play Songs To Play is a mundane title but a magical album. I mean, how could you not love an album that includes a song called I Love Myself And I Always Have ? Of course, one of Robert Forster’s '10 Rules of Rock and Roll' states that the second-last song on every album is

Four cornerstone albums by brother Bob

the weakest. But I Love Myself – complete with country coda – is a standout. “I hold myself in high regard,” Forster declares, “and loving yourself shouldn’t be so hard.” This is a record rich in irony. The opening cut, rock anthem Learn To Burn , is a song about impatience. Forster claims he’s waiting for no man, except maybe Dylan – though he has made his fans wait seven years for this solo album. Another one of his rock rules is: "Great bands don’t have members making solo albums.” Fair point, though sadly the Go-Betweens’ career was curtailed by the premature passing of Grant McLennan. You can hear how they have influenced contemporary acts like Oh Mercy, Dick Diver and The Ocean Party, but Songs To Play shows that Robert Forster remains the master. Jeff Jenkins

Natty Dread (1974) The earlier Catch A Fire and Burnin' albums

established an appealingly crude template of reggae, but with this album – the first with the I-Threes and without the earlier Wailers Peter Tosh and Bunny

Livingston – Marley stepped out as a solo artist with a band. Although his count of originals looked low (just Lively Up Yourself and Bend Down Low ) he was behind No Woman, No Cry , Them Belly Full , Rebel Music and So Jah Seh . The first classic Marley album. Rastaman Vibration (1976)

The presence of synths here was proof Marley was musically curious and ready to push the reggae envelope. It's still a classic reggae album (hard to deny with Positive Vibration , Johnny Was , Crazy

Baldhead , Who The Cap Fit and War ) but his music was expanding beyond roots, and the lyrical inspirations were coming from real life ( Johnny Was ), factory work and the Bible ( Night Shift ), and the words of Haile Selassie ( War ). Political, passionate and real. Exodus (1977) The mighty one. With new Wailers, Marley expanded his musical palette further, divided his energies between lighter material and his political mindset (placing those tougher songs first however), and in the title track provided the sound of a nation of Rastafarians marching out of Babylon. Kaya (1978) Sometimes he was a lover, not a fighter, and this mellow mood collection (celebrating ganja and love) balances things. He would get back to the serious business on Survival the following year but this one, recorded at much the same time as Exodus , comes like a breather. The essential summer Marley... which unwittingly gave rise to Kiwi barbecue reggae? FURTHER LISTENING Want to spend large but all in one place? The four CD box set Songs Of Freedom (1992) covers most of the essential ground.

Bring Me The Horizon That's The Spirit Bring Me The Horizon have had one of the most fascinating career progressions the music industry has laid witness to in the past decade. Originally emerging with an absolute assault of overeager, heavily stylised metalcore bands in 2003, they’ve made deliberate and decisive progressions in sound across each album thereafter, and have eventually emerged in 2015 as comfortably one of the biggest heavy bands on the globe. Their integrity remains intact with this solid new venture which is so sonically stylish that they can now add immaculate taste and trendsetting to their list of enviable talents. Emily Kelly

New Order Music Complete Two years in the making seems to have paid off; New Order (still sans ‘Hooky’) still feel just as relevant as ever. As always there’s a ‘clean air’ feel about Sumner’s vocal delivery, and an urgency in NO’s electronic foundations. Plastic even offers a Donna Summer-esque disco groove amongst the never- ending new wave overtones. As is their shtick, the band endear rather than annoy; even the patchy Tutti Frutti wins you over before you’re aware of your body moving along to it. Expect this album to work, and work big – owning a superior dance floor near you. Chris Murray

For more from Graham Reid visit www.elsewhere.co.nz

OCTOBER 2015

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