STACK #143 Sept 2016

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Felix Riebl Paper Doors The sun never sets on this empire. The Cat Empire frontman Felix Riebl follows the Melbourne band's recent number one album with his second solo album, his first since 2011’s Into The Rain . Not that it’s a purely solo affair – the highlights are three stunning duets, with Riebl’s Chris Martin-like vocal complemented by Martha Wainwright ( In Your Arms ), Katy Steele ( Wasting Time ) and Tinpan Orange’s Emily Lubitz ( Snowflakes ). The result is quieter and more intimate than The Cat Empire, but no less powerful, and the female vocals elevate the record to glorious heights. Here’s to more Riebl solo offerings. (My Shore Productions/Kobalt) Jeff Jenkins

Georgia Fields Astral Debris “Where are we now?”

It’s a fair question following the death of David Bowie. It’s also relevant to Georgia Fields’ career, as the Melbourne singer has taken six years to follow her impressive debut. Bowie has been an obvious influence on this new set and her cover of Where Are We Now? is a fitting tribute. Astral Debris , part cosmic, part personal, is compelling from start to finish – props to producer Tim Shiel – with Fields swinging from playful ( We’re Foolish Things ) to poignant ( A Sisyphean Grail ). She also skillfully spices things up – check out her ode to oral sex, Open Orange . (MGM) Jeff Jenkins

David Brent & Foregone Conclusion Life On The Road Parody albums are a hit ’n’ miss affair. But when taken, to quote Kirk Lazarus, to 'full retard’ – as does Gervais’ David Brent (performing here with his band, Foregone Conclusion) – you just may have a winner. With song titles such as Slough (a Britpop ballad), Thank F-ck it’s Friday (Alice Cooper-

style FM rock gold) and Please Don’t Make Fun of the Disabled (“Whether mental in the head, or mental in the legs, it doesn’t mean their sorrow doesn’t show”), you get the idea pretty quickly. Paris Nights pushes the boundaries of bad taste even further as a farewell ballad to an ex-love who’s dying of AIDS, but when you’re David Brent you have a license to kill. Taken to the hilt – that point where you’re unsure of whether Gervais is actually demonstrating that he can, perhaps, sing as well as be funny – is in fact the uneasy genius at play here. You won’t have it on repeat, but as a document of comedic dedication with a serious guffaw on certain tracks like Native American and the afore-mentioned song on the less fortunate, you’ll kinda feel happy to have this alongside your Spinal Tap and Steel Panther albums. (ABC/Universal) Chris Murray

Ceres Drag It Down On You

Against Me! Shape Shift With Me

Fates Warning Theories Of Flight Fates Warning, alongside Queensryche and DreamTheater, are progressive metal royalty. Unlike their contemporaries, Fates Warning never became a commercial hit, but their ability to evolve as a band has always been admired. Theories Of Flight takes their sound to new heights and long-time fans will definitely like what they hear. Vocalist Ray Adler gives his all, and his heartfelt delivery imbues Theories Of Flight with a personality not felt on many progressive metal albums. While technical, Fates Warning always had the ability to avoid sounding clinical, and this human touch gives Theories Of Flight a timeless quality. (EMI/Inside Out) Simon Lukic

Opeth Sorceress And so the evolution continues. Having cut their teeth as a progressive death metal band, Opeth’s audacious move to exclude all extreme metal traits from their sound has given them new pastures to explore. Sorceress will not placate Opeth’s diehard fanbase, but it will satisfy those into the retro prog vibe of Heritage / Pale Communion . Moreso than ever, the music has a medieval feel to it a la early Rainbow – which shouldn’t come influence on band leader Mikael Åkerfeldt. Sorceress finds Opeth in a reflective mood, making for a poignant listening experience. (Caroline/Nuclear Blast) Simon Lukic as a surprise, given guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is a huge

Melbourne four-piece Ceres have been finding their feet for a while now. Since forming in 2012, their heartfelt, deeply melodic musings have been winning over the romantic in all of us, slowly but surely. Drag It Down On You seems to be the culmination of their previous releases, swelling in together to create one of the year’s best local records.There’s a deeply nostalgic vibe at play with this LP, with layered, memorable, '90s emo rock hooks that seem destined to have huge rooms swaying with satisfaction. Drag It Down On You will sit perfectly alongside Jimmy Eat World and Get Up Kids in your music library, ready to be the soundtrack to life’s sweetest moments. (CookingVinyl) Emily Kelly

Few stories in modern day punk rock are more compelling than that of Laura Jane Grace. The transgender punk rock renegade has been creating compelling commentary on raging against the norm for a long time now. Against Me!’s first few albums still remain unrivalled in their raucousness; the singer seems to have settled in her skin since previous LP Transgender Dysphoria Blues . Shape Shift With Me feels slightly less furious, despite grappling with sex, drugs and the heartbreak of a failed marriage in the face of identity crisis. The riveting and deeply introspective lyrics are set against a backdrop of more mid-paced rock this time around, but with no less soul and heart than any of their previous

seven albums. (TotalTreble/ CookingVinyl) Emily Kelly

SEPTEMBER 2016

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