STACK #168 Oct 2018

MUSIC REVIEWS

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David Guetta 7 It might be hard to remember now that David Guetta was once so influential that the late- aughts wave of house-flavoured pop music was briefly called “Guetta-pop”. 7 will remind you. Perfectly sequenced even as a double album (pop collaborations up front, housier cuts in the back), 7 is almost arrogant about its understanding of pop-as-science. Every hook is an earworm, every crescendo is a rush, and it’s a mark of Guetta’s reputation that every guest here sounds energised. From the aspirational sing-along jams of side one to the down and dirty dancefloor ravers on side two, 7 is the French producer at his very best. (Warner) Jake Cleland

Cher Dancing Queen

The Beatles. Elvis Presley. Public Enemy. ABBA. Some artists are so legendary, so iconic, that nobody else could possibly capture their energy and spirit with a cover. The only exception is when another legendary icon turns their eye towards such an endeavour. Can you imagine anyone but Cher paying tribute to ABBA like they deserve? Dancing Queen both honours the original and ratchets up the energy for a modern production, bringing the diva’s timeless voice to a record of ABBA’s most timeless hits. Is it camp as hell? Of course! You wouldn’t want it if it wasn’t. (Warner) Jake Cleland

Eves Karydas summerskin

There are little pieces from Eves Karydas’ life from all around the world in her debut release, summerskin : from a childhood in Cairns and Brisbane, creative pilgrimages to Los Angeles via Melbourne, and finally where she finds herself now, in London. And while it feels like the long way

around, summerskin wouldn’t exist without it. While we’ve known her as Eves and Eves the Behaviour – her parents even know her as Hannah – you would think that this record would be about finding herself. It’s not. That discovery simply preludes the honest reflections and confidence we hear on the album. Her voice is stronger, her writing more meaningful and her message more empowering. Inspired opener Hush throws shade on an ex, Couch is dripping in conviction, There for You wistfully chases melancholy and Further Than the Planes Fly breaks the adverse shackles that restricted her before. Just like her newly discovered power, summerskin is one of the strongest releases of the year in a booming Australian pop scene. (Dew Process)Tim Lambert

Connan Mockasin Jassbusters

Basement Beside Myself Don’t look back and don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Just accept the present as it passes you by – seems easy enough, right? For UK punks Basement it’s something they wrestle with throughout their fourth studio album, the follow-up to their breakthrough record of 2016, Promise Everything . For frontman Andrew Fisher, living in the present has been hard. Beside Myself is a deeply self-aware album buried in bright guitars. Duncan Stewart’s lumbering bassline on Slip Away is in a constant battle with Fisher’s urgency to flee, Ultraviolet talks a friend off the ledge, and Stigmata is a freefall. All the while, for all his self-knowledge, Fisher is just waiting, as his anxiety is heightened – waiting for the man, reliving his mistakes, and hoping for the payoff. (Fueled by Ramen/Warner) Tim Lambert

What do you get when you throw Connan Mockasin into a disused LA hair salon with his childhood next-door neighbour? The answer is Bostyn ’n Dobsyn , a five-part melodrama film. Jassbusters , Mockasin’s third album, serves as the film’s soundtrack, and offers a heady musical accompaniment. The album’s eight tracks feel like a natural continuation from 2013’s Caramel , but this time around there’s more of a concept at play. Mockasin delves into easy listening territory across the record, with tracks like Charlotte’s Thong and Last Night setting a sultry mood. Even in isolation of the film that it supplements, Jassbusters is a soothing listen that’s custom-made for repeat plays. (Mexican Summer/Rocker) Holly Pereira

Oh Pep! I Wasn’t Only Thinking About You

I Wasn't Only Thinking About You arrives two years after O h Pep! 's celebrated debut Stadium Cake , an album as immense and layered as the title might imply. The duo of Olivia Hally and Pepita Emmerichs have spent the intervening months writing, refining,

evolving and perfecting their craft in studios across NewYork, Nashville, Los Angeles and at home in Melbourne. As if that’s not enough, when they weren't recording they were performing in multiple tours across the UK, Europe, and North America. These new songs are charged with the energy of their live shows, carried by propulsive rock rhythms, soaring vocal harmonies and rich orchestral arrangements. Oh Pep! draw on the traditions of country, folk and Americana as much as they pave their own paths through modern pop. (Village Sounds) SimonWinkler

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OCTOBER 2018

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