STACK #155 Sep 2017

MUSIC REVIEWS

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King Parrot Ugly Produce

Rex Brown Smoke On This...

From the moment Entrapment slams into gear, you know that you’re in for quite a ride. As always, King Parrot take no prisoners. More importantly, they have a sound of their own and in today’s saturated music scene that’s quite a achievement. Ugly Produce has the familiarity of their past albums, but the hooks are more pronounced and geared for the live environment, making for a more immediate experience. If you’re a fan of the band, laying down your heard earned for Ugly Produce is a no brainer. For others, this is a great place to start. Great work fellas! (EVP Recordings) Simon Lukic

Former Pantera bassist Rex Brown has certainly made a go of it since the band ground to a halt in 2003. Since then he's worked with Down, Crowbar and released two albums with Kill Devil Hill, proving that there is still a lot left in the tank where music is concerned. Brown finally branches out as a solo artist on his latest venture Smoke On This… . The material here rocks with a swagger that resembles Aerosmith, Alice Cooper or the Rolling Stones – not Pantera, and it’s all the better for it. Smoke On This… is a rock album with lots of roll. (eOne Music) Simon Lukic

Queens of the Stone Age Villains

On Queens of the Stone Age's brand new record Villains , frontman Josh Homme's revitalised outlook on life has resulted in the Palm Desert group’s most upbeat record to date. Bringing in Mark Ronson to helm production duties certainly adds the

danceability that the band were after – but don’t doubt for a second that you’ll be dancing anywhere other than a dark, smoke-filled, sticky-floored bar. There is still something familiarly sinister about Villains ; the record swaggers through nine tracks without a single good intention (not that you ever expected one), from the sauntering slink of opener Feet Don’t Fail Me Now , to the voodoo groove of Domesticated Animals , or the salaciousness of Head Like A Haunted House (the Iggy Pop-inspired, NewWave, punk bouncer). It quickly becomes clear that not only has Josh Homme been dancing with the devil for over 20 years, he quite likes it too. (Remote Control)Tim Lambert

The Killers Wonderful Wonderful

Foo Fighters Concrete And Gold

Tired Lion Dumb Days On Dumb Days ,Tired Lion have created a piece of work that will sit comfortably as one of the most rounded, complete Sophie Hopes is screaming about the dissatisfaction of monotony in opener Japan , wondering wild-eyed on Cilantro (don’t even start me on the devil's herb coriander), or fighting frustrations on I’ve BeenTrying , her relatable lyrics form the backbone of the album – the grunge- laden riffs, high-powered drums and thumping basslines just take the record to another level. Enlisting Violent Soho's Luke Boerdam to carry production duties withWA music legend Dave Parkin has given the record the familiarity of VS’ Hungry Ghost and the huge highs of WACO – and just like Mansfield's favourite sons it won't be long untilTired Lion are headlining festivals and ruling debut records to be released in Australia. Whether frontwoman

The War On Drugs A Deeper Understanding Three years ago, The War On Drugs released the critically acclaimed Lost In The Dream , a classic American rock album that tapped into the veins of Petty, Young and Springsteen. But the weight of expectation clearly sits lightly on singer-songwriter Adam Granduciel, who returns here with 10 magnificently crafted songs. A Deeper Understanding is a more cleanly-produced record, more optimistic, and proficiently arranged with a heavy emphasis on keys. Granduciel has an excellent ear for melody and manages to lean into the world of popularist rock, infusing its formula while retaining the respect and appreciation of a musical pioneer. A Deeper Understanding is an exemplary riposte to Lost In The Dream . (Warner) Paul Jones

As soon as The Killers announced they’d be tackling this year’s AFL Grand Final, we knew there’d have to be some new music on the way as an accompaniment – despite the fact that they could quite easily pull off 45 minutes of Mr Brightside and literally nobody would complain. Behold Wonderful Wonderful – you’ll have already heard the tongue-in-cheek smugness of the swaggeringly- paced, gritty disco luxe single The Man , and the rest of the album mostly follows suit; it’s a short, slower, rocky ascent into already- established Killers synth-rockerdom, that will do nought but enhance that One Day in September. Be sure to check it out – it’s a wonderful wonderful time. (Universal) Alesha Kolbe

On ninth album Concrete And Gold , the Foos aren’t denying their steamrolling force as veteran bigwigs of rock – but they absolutely have ideas and are taking risks. Run is metal-vicious, The Sky Is A Neighbourhood ’s lo-fi vocals sound like they were recorded on a phone in a granny flat while angular cries of electric guitar bang on the windows, Make It Right has a stellar tripping drum beat, Happy Ever After (Zero Hour) is a cute as hell acoustic ditty, and the tip-toe dirge of the title track and album closer opens into a slow, majestic, ragged supernova. The lyrics – often the first victim when a band have lost inventiveness – haven’t devolved into platitudes but could stand alone as fascinating slivers of poetry. Grohl and company remain enormously imaginative, and this one is absolutely worth your time. (Sony) Zoë Radas

the Australian music scene. (Dew Process)Tim Lambert

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SEPTEMBER 2017

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