STACK#127 May 2016

REVIEWS

MUSIC

The Wombats, Glitterbug The Wombats are more champagne than Schumacher in their latest, Glitterbug . The Liverpool trio's latest is slower and more placid than their previous works, yet manages to retain their kookily askew pop thing – and truest to this new exploration of their marsupial genre is Your Body is a Weapon. The band’s Also Spinning newer sounds are emphasised in the less-so-but-still-upbeat This Is Not a Party , as well as Be Your Shadow’ s ability to sound exactly like a cross between 1996 and Tokyo . Worth a listen for fans of The Wombats keen for a different-yet- trademark sound, and so too for newcomers wanting to appreciate three lads who successfully rhyme 'exclusivity' and 'proximity'. Alesha Kolbe

Ruby Boots Solitude

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Multi Love Ruban Nielson's gift for melodic twists and weighty lyrics hasn't deserted him; it's deepened on this album, which refers to Prince-style soul with a disco bassline (opener I Can't Keep Checking My Phone ), deep funk (the brittle Acid Rain ), dreamy falsetto pop (the title track), and broody balladry (the Bacharach-

“Is your bottle half-empty or is it too full?” So starts the debut album by Ruby Boots, aka Bex Chilcott. After signing to Lost Highway Records, the pressure is on. Can she deliver? The answer is a resounding yes. File alongside Lucinda Williams, Mia Dyson and Lisa Miller; this Perth singer is so

style horns of Necessary Evil ). What keeps the diversity coherent is a funky bottom end, Nielson's effortless delivery (which sounds intimate, or annoyed), and the pop economy of these nine, discrete songs. Nielson/UMO twist them into musically literate, white-boy pop-rock with its feet on the dancefloor and stars in its jaded eyes. Graham Reid

confident and assured, it sounds like she’s been doing it forever. Though the album was recorded in six separate sessions over nine months with four producers, it’s a cohesive and classy piece of work, with pop highs (check out Wrap Me in a Fever ) and bittersweet laments. Her voice is capable of conveying ache and longing, and she exhibits superb storytelling abilities. And the cleverly chosen collaborators add value, including Jordie Lane (who duets on Lovin’ in the Fall ), Bill Chambers, The Waifs’ Vikki Thorn, and You Am I’s Davey Lane, who adds a brilliant guitar solo to the title track which sounds effortless but golden. Solitude should be the start of an impressive career. As Ruby Boots declares, “I know I ain’t leaving any time soon.” (Lost Highway/Universal) Jeff Jenkins

AlbumsThat Should Live in Every Collection

STREAMYOUR FAVOURITE ALBUMS AT JBHI-FI NOW... NOW!

Temple of the Dog Temple of the Dog

When grunge arrived in the early '90s, this band – Soundgarden's Chris Cornell alongside soon-to-be Pearl Jam, on a tribute to the late Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone – were a supergroup... except at that time, none were in a group which was super. Soundgarden and Pearl Jam's breakthrough albums would soon come, but TOTD's sole album showed the way in its distillation of Led Zepp, molten heavy metal and bellicose ballads – all delivered with emotional intensity for their late friend. With songs and soundscapes pulled together from old tapes and newer material by Okkervil's Will Sheff, the brain-damaged Erickson had never sounded so heartbreaking or confident. A musical and emotional revelation. Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours Back in the late '50s, Sinatra made what we came to call concept albums: a collection of songs around a theme. This one is ideal for melancholy late night listening. Great songs, that voice, and the wee small hours all combine perfectly. Roky Erickson True Love Cast Out All Evil

Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell The Travelling Kind Emmylou Harris and Rodney

Saun & Starr Look Closer

Saundra Williams and Starr Duncan Lowe usually sing back-up for soul queen Sharon Jones, but Look Closer pairs them with Jones’ band The Dap-Kings for a dynamite album of their own. This isn’t just retro soul, though: the songs take funk and R’n’B to stark and spacey places, all while hinging on those honeyed voices. If the themes of romance and redemption are familiar, the pitch-perfect arrangements make everything sound utterly fresh. Again, the vocals are the star, with Saun & Starr shining like a stripped-back girl group. (Shock) DougWallen

Crowell’s Grammy Award-winning, 2013 release Old Yellow Moon was the first full album collaboration for these long-time friends. Having known one another for 40 years, they are two exceptionally talented individuals who are outstanding as a duo. They’ve done it again with another release of duets featuring six new songs written by Harris and Crowell, and new renditions of previous Crowell, Lucinda Williams and Amy Allison tracks. Joe Henry has produced this album, highlighting the magical coming together of classic vocals from two modern day, country singing legends, with yet again another fantastic song selection. ( Warner) Denise Hylands

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