STACK #192 Oct 2020

MUSIC REVIEWS

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IDLES Ultra Mono

Nothing But Thieves Moral Panic Opener Unperson barnstorms in with Conor Mason's intense delivery conjuring RATM-level fury: "This is not what you think it is/ It's worse." Mason's theatrical singing boasts in- his-prime Farnsy virtuosity. Stand-out Phobia could be the missing sign of the apocalypse: show-offy alternating time signatures and an arrangement that sneaks up on you until, boom! Chainsaw riffs and bashing beats ultimately prevail. But this album is far from just a relentless barrage of brutal outbursts; there's also a fight song ( Free If You Want It ), romantic declaration ( Impossible ) and resilient closing statement ( Before We Drift Away ), elevated by strings. Dense, dark and emo? Sure, but NBT's outpourings are never devoid of killer melodic hooks. A mutant QOTSA/ Muse fusion, Nothing But Thieves are strong medal contenders at The Band Olympics! (Sony) Bryget Chrisfield Tommy Lee Andro A record divided into two sides, Andro represents male and female energy: opener Knock Me Down (feat. Killvein) channels Mama Said Knock You Out spirit; concurrent lead single Tops (feat. Push Push) doesn’t wait for permission with that warped, electronic battlecry dropping like a runaway rollercoaster's sudden descent. You Dancy (feat. Lukas Rossi) tilts its beret Prince’s way, with Rossi ( Rock Star: Supernova ) returning on Lee’s slowed-down, sinister, Stan -like take on The Purple One’s When You Were Mine . Killvein closes 'Side Dude' with the moody, skittish, oh-so-gangsta Leave Me Alone , and then – introducing Andro's ‘feminine’ side – Brooke Candy throws down Demon Bitches (“I knock your teeth out/ I f-ck up your guts...”). Lee dons his beatmaker/talent curator cape for Andro , sharing his superstar spotlight with hand-picked, next-gen musical outlaws. (Better Noise) Bryget Chrisfield

England’s punk saviours IDLES return with album number three, bursting straight out of the cannon with defiant opening track War . Urgent guitars weave in and out on the propulsive Mr. Motivator, vocalist Joe Talbot snarling and yelping over the instruments, even going on to deliver a dog's barks on Kill ThemWith Kindness . Model Village is a cutting critique of class, and sees Talbot rap his vocals in a manner reminiscent of Phil Daniels’ iconic monologue in Blur’s Parklife . The band’s deeply political roots remain ever-present: both Anxiety and Reigns are fiery indictments of their government’s mistreatment of the working class. Ultra Mono is the straight-to-the-point, straight-to-the- jugular rock that IDLES do best. (Partisan Records/Liberation) Holly Pereira

R ó is í n Murphy R ó is í n Machine

"I feel my story's still untold/ But I'll make my own happy ending/ I guess I'd rather be alone, than making do and mending..." Eight-plus minute opener Simulation – which gradually unfurls into a disco anthem of Donna Summer proportions, resplendent with arousal sounds – introduces this dancefloor

affirmation, which is reiterated later during this album's spectacularly titled seventh track, Murphy's Law . We Got Together 's rumbling bass and trance- like energy teleport Róisín to early-'90s London, shimmying down Trade nightclub's Muscle Alley at 11am – a transformative experience for listeners. "I am a machine; I never stop," Murphy has admitted, and Róisín Machine , her fifth solo album, should (finally!) propel the artist formerly known as the voice of Moloko way beyond that particular electronic duo's reach. (Skint/BMG) Bryget Chrisfield

Future Islands As Long As You Are

Didirri Sold For Sale “Start the parade,” Didirri Peters sings at the beginning of his second

Angie McMahon Piano Salt

With their first release in three years, Baltimore’s Future Islands stun once again with their sparkling synthpop that is equal parts melancholic and uplifting. The quartet, led by the distinctive baritone of lead singer Samuel Herring, make impressive forays into disco-inspired territory on Born in AWar and The Painter , injecting an energy that counterbalances the album’s more downbeat moments. Delicately layered synths dazzle as they build up to showstopping moments, with lead single For You possessing shades of the band’s breakout track Seasons (Waiting on You) . Much like on previous offerings, Herring wears his romantic sentiments on his sleeve, expressing experiences of heartache and self-discovery with a staggering emotional depth. (4AD/Remote Control) Holly Pereira

Angie McMahon’s Salt was one of 2019’s great albums, showcasing an emerging star. Unable to tour this year, McMahon has revisited five of the Salt songs plus two covers. The songs shine in this stark setting: one voice and one piano (with If You Call augmented by a whistling solo and Leif Vollebekk’s haunting harmonies). McMahon rediscovers the beauty of Springsteen’s The River , a tale of recession and faded dreams, with words that resonate 40 years after it was released: “Now all them things that seemed so important, well mister, they vanished right into the air.” And her take on Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die is equally compelling. A stunning companion to Salt , this is confirmation that Angie McMahon is a genuine artist. (AWAL Recordings) Jeff Jenkins

EP, “as the sky turns grey.” The Warrnambool singer- songwriter’s indie folk floats

effortlessly into your subconscious. Produced by Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, Morrissey, Augie March) and Evermore’s Dann Hume, a standout is Loose Belt Drive , which compares rock ’n’ roll to religion, exposing the excesses in both. Didirri’s poetic pop reminds of Ron Sexsmith, as his magical melodies manage to make melancholia sound uplifting. “Life has some raw stuff,” he declares in his Eurovision entrant, Raw Stuff . Indeed. But Sold For Sale is filled with beauty and wonder. “What if I was unprepared?” he ponders in The Critic . But Didirri is ready for stardom. (Unified) Jeff Jenkins

92 OCTOBER 2020

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