STACK #190 Aug 2020

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Pretenders Hate For Sale

Cub Sport Like Nirvana The fourth record from Brissie four-piece Cub Sport, Like Nirvana , conjures angelic apparitions from behind cloudbanks of synth and ticking heartbeat rhythms; experiments in overlapping lyric lines and subtly pitch-swept vocals find their footholds on the points of stars; and autotuned vocal explorations from singer- songwriter Tim Nelson glisten like fabric cut from milky marble. Coming at you in a shower of diamonds squished straight through the lattice of the confessional booth, Like Nirvana celebrates love and vulnerability with a curiosity that’s become totally distinct to this continually astonishing act. (Cub Sport Records) ZKR

Legendary Blur producer Stephen Street laid down Hate For Sale , which launches the collaborative songwriting genius of debonair- doyenne Chrissie Hynde and guitarist James Walbourne. Pretenders' 11th album also showcases this band's long-standing touring line-up on wax for the very first time with drummer Martin Chambers pelting down pure power. Turf Accountant Daddy sashays in like The Jean Genie , Junkie Walk 's cheeky swagger obscures the Grim Reaper ("Every junkie has to die") and Didn't Want To Be This Lonely expertly borrows Born To Hand Jive 's riffs. FromThe Damned tribute/opening title track's heart- stopping false start (so punk!) to its Hymn To Her -esque closer Crying In Public , Hate For Sale rolls out thrilling stompers alongside harrowing piano ballads, Pretenders exhibiting equal expertise in both modes of delivery. (BMG) Bryget Chrisfield

Alex the Astronaut The Theory of Absolutely Nothing

Alex Lynn’s folk-pop songs are like compelling short stories, vignettes that transport us somewhere else. “We’ll slip into a song that can take us from our minds,” she sings. “Strange how a song can do that sometimes.” She’s also capable of moving you to tears. Her debut album includes the 2019 single I Like To

Dance , which starts like a beautiful love story: “And then he kissed me, I was found … He held me close, I felt at home. And I had always felt alone.” But then it takes a dark turn, becoming a devastating tale of domestic violence. “You scream, ‘Why don’t you leave?’ My kids are two and three, I just can’t pay for what they need,” Lynn sings, before adding, ominously, “We both know he’d find me.” Pop music is rarely this powerful, and it stamps Alex the Astronaut as a great artist, even if she’s sometimes riddled with self-doubt. “Don’t know where I’m going or what I’ll be,” she confides in Caught In The Middle . And in Split The Sky , she’s “hoping I have what it takes to keep rolling”. The title of the album was inspired by the Einstein quote: “The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don’t know.” Yes, this is just the start of Alex the Astronaut’s journey. But there’s no doubt she’s going to take us to some remarkable places. (Minkowski Records) (Minkowski Records) Jeff Jenkins

Paul Kelly and Paul Grabowsky Please Leave Your Light On Paul Grabowsky follows his ARIA Award-winning Tryst with Kate Ceberano by teaming up with Paul Kelly. This affair follows a similar formula: Grabowsky’s peerless piano playing accompanying one voice (and some occasional harmonica). The song selection digs deep, shining a light on some gems in Kelly’s catalogue, plus a new Kelly composition, True To You , which sets the scene, as well as a cover of Cole Porter’s Every Time We Say Goodbye . Paul Kelly is rightly revered as our finest songwriter, but his vocal is underrated. Powerful and direct, you believe every word. And his phrasing is impeccable. When he sings “I don’t need you, but I sure want you”, he could be referring to this record. (EMI) Jeff Jenkins

Washington Batflowers

Madder Lake Live Adventures of Madder Lake 1973 - 2008 Madder Lake played a significant role in Australian music history: they opened the batting for Mushroom Records in 1973 with the release of their first single Goodbye Lollipop , supported The Rolling Stones at Kooyong that same year, and performed at the inaugural Sunbury Pop Festival. Now, thanks to the expertise of musician/recording engineer Gil Matthews, this double CD (with 19 previously unreleased tracks) has seen the light of day via Gil's Aztec Music label. This collection is a reminder of the innovative interplay that took place on stage between Madder Lake's two lead guitar players led by Brendon Mason (who is still active), keyboards, and a dynamic rhythm section. Enigmatic lead singer, the late Mick Fettes, broke new ground for live Ozrock in the 1970s and beyond. (Aztec) Billy Pinnell

Josh Pyke Rome Rome wasn’t built in a day. A

The bat flower is an exotic plant with flowers that mimic a bat in flight. To call Batflowers “long- awaited” is an understatement. Coming six years after Washington’s second album, it was reportedly going to be a love album called Sugardoom , which was first talked about in 2017. Instead, Washington has delivered a darker set of songs. “Black is the colour, heart of darkness,” she sings. “You show me just how dark your heart is.” It’s one hell of a ride, with the chaotic Dark Parts , the hypnotic Switches and a couple of showstopping ballads – Catherine Wheel and Lazarus Drug . There are no obvious pop hits, but Batflowers is deep, dark and unpredictable. It’s the sound of Washington in full bloom. (Island/Universal) Jeff Jenkins

lifetime of living and learning has gone into Josh Pyke’s sixth studio album, his first in five years. There’s a world-weary tone to the record as well as a search for meaning in uncertain times. “We feel waves of something like nostalgia for all these things we know we’ve never done,” he sighs in Doubting Thomas . And then, “It’s nothing, we are nothing, and yet still we carry on.” But like Ben Lee and Bob Evans, Pyke has a knack for crafting melodies that will lift you out of your malaise, providing comfort and peace. And the album is tinged with optimism, with the Sydney singer declaring, “I know that something good will

come around again.” (Wonderlick/Sony) Jeff Jenkins

24 AUGUST 2020

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