STACK #183 Jan 2020

MUSIC FEATURE

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it’s feeling not good enough, or feeling let down, or feeling angry – everybody has their own trauma to deal with and their own stuff to deal with, and I figure if I just laid mine out as purely as I could, then people have a chance of relating.” ( My Criminal Record – Bloodlines)

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wonderfully varied, running a gamut of emotions and stylistic cues. There are reminders of the importance of humility and community ( What Becomes of Us ), a lucky dip back into childhood pop culture ( Clark Griswold ), and fearless dives into fat brass or the clipped rush of trance synths ( Be Yourself, OOFT ). Leave Me Lonely is the Cosby Sweater of the bunch, bumping with an easy saunter and full of hilarious wordplay. Hilltops have gathered no moss, masterfully distilling where they’re at in their continual creative march.” – ZKR See Is What You Get (Sony) IN NUMBERS 7: Number of singles Luke Combs has released across his two albums, This One’s For You Too (2017) and this year’s What You See Is What You Get ; all seven reached #1 on Billboard’s Country Chart 2019: Year in which Combs was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry; he is the newest member amongst a distinguished list which includes Loretta Lynn, Vince Gill, and Dolly Parton amongst its 68-strong cohort 7: Number of awards Combs won in 2019, including three Billboard Music Awards, two Country Music Association Awards, and a CMT Music Award Luke Combs What You

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Ghosteen (Bad Seed Ltd.) “Created after one of his twin sons, Arthur, died aged 15 in a tragic accident, some songs on Ghosteen revealed themselves to Nick Cave in 'fever dreams'. The Bad Seeds take supporting roles on album number 17, with Warren Ellis’s ever-present, atmospheric synth drone complemented by spectral vocal harmonies, ominous bass and occasional mystery percussion. During this record’s 14-plus- minute closer Hollywood , Cave paraphrases a Buddhist parable. “Kisa had a baby, but the baby died,” he sings in fractured falsetto – art imitates life, and we feel Cave’s sorrow. Listen to Ghosteen in public at your own risk." – Bryget Chrisfield Human Nature Still Telling Everybody: 30 Years Of Hits (Sony) IN NUMBERS 4: Number of Human Nature ARIAs chart 6: Number of different Australian Symphony Orchestras with which they have performed (the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmanian, Queensland, and West Australian Symphony Orchestras) 2019: The year the four-piece were inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame albums which have hit #1 on the

Billie Eilish WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? (Interscope) “Eilish has

carved a niche as an unapologetic gets-what-she- wants lyricist, and here that manifests

as dark, jittering party anthems punctured by

sardonic ballads, all determined to shock. Processing Regina Spektor via The Weeknd, or Drake via Lana Del Rey, Eilish’s version of teenagedom brings all the glorious, rapturous mess to the fore." – Jake Cleland Keith Richards Talk Is Cheap: 2019 Reissue (Warner) IN NUMBERS 31: Years since Keith Richards released this, his debut solo album 6: Number of previously unreleased tracks included on the 2019 reissue of the record (in addition to its original 11 tracks) 500,000: Number of units required to be sold for an album to be certified Gold in the US – a status achieved by Talk Is Cheap

Jimmy Barnes on the common thread of human experience he's discovered on the way to making My Criminal Record : “I think you’d be surprised how much people have in common.

What I found [with] writing this record, is people’s experiences are similar. They might not go through the exact same things, but there’s degrees of it, and people can relate to it. Whether

Hilltop Hoods The Great Expanse (Hilltop Hoods/ Universal) “This eighth album is aptly-titled: it’s

48 JANUARY 2020

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