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REVIEWS
MUSIC
Kate Miller-Heidke
The Best Of Kate Miller-
Heidke: Act One
Kate Miller-Heidke is a strange
mix of things. She’s the opera
singer who possesses a perverse,
potty-mouthed sense of humour,
capable of swinging from a
beautiful ballad, such as
The
Last Day On Earth
, to one of
the sharpest slaps in the face
you’ll ever hear,
Are You F-cking
Kidding Me?
Her first Best Of
is a generous 37-track affair,
gathering songs from her early
EPs
(
Telegram
and
Comikaze
)
and four albums, plus a stack of
live tracks, as well as a new tune,
You’ve Underestimated Me, Dude
.
Underestimate her at your peril;
she’s one of the most interesting
pop artists we’ve produced in the
past decade. Can’t wait for Act
Two.
(Sony) Jeff Jenkins
The McClymonts
Endless
Singing sisters Brooke, Sam and
Mollie McClymont have delivered
their strongest collection of songs
ever with their fifth album. Sure,
they’re not reinventing any wheels
– they’re a sassy mix of Shania,
Taylor Swift and the Dixie Chicks
– but they nail the contemporary
commercial country sound with
superb sibling harmonies. The title
track, dedicated to their husbands,
has international hit potential,
while the ubiquitous Ronan
Keating pops up on
When We Say
It’s Forever
, which could easily
become one of 2017’s big wedding
songs.
Endless
shows that The
McClymonts have few peers in
Australian country pop.
(Universal) Jeff Jenkins
SOHN
Rennen
Those who have waited patiently
since SOHN’s debut album
release (2014’s Tremors) are in
for a fulfilling, icy treat during
these scorching months. Over his
musical break, the Vienna-based
producer took on the life of a
‘yes-man’ and with his music no
longer encapsulating jarring beats,
we’re screaming ‘yes’ as well. It
showcases a fine disposition of
SOHN’s haunting voice and his
masterful electronica ambience
that is only elated with his grown
confidence. That brings Rennen
to be the perfect soundtrack for
summer. It fills the atmosphere
with a coolness of deliciously
sweet tones that provides chills
strong enough that you’ll no longer
be requiring that fan.
(4AD/Remote Control)
Savannah Douglas
Cherry Glazerr
Apocalypstick
LA rock trio Cherry Glazerr write
sharp social commentary and
potent garage rock anthems.
Rising as punk prodigies from
high school, the group caught
the attention of cult rock imprint
Burger Records before recently
signing to Secretly Canadian.
Apocalypstick
is their first album
for the label and finds the trio
at the height of their powers.
Melodic, fuzzy garage sounds are
heard through a kaleidoscopic
filter of psych, punk, goth and pop.
Clementine Creevy condenses the
fantasies and realities of southern
Californian life in her poetic lyrics.
(Inertia)
SimonWinkler
Tift Merritt
Stitch Of The World
Described by Emmylou Harris
as “a diamond in a coal mine”,
Tift Merritt is one of those artists
for whom you can use the word
'brilliant'. At times sounding not
unlike Harris, she can also write
a dang good song. At the time
of writing this album Merrit was
recently divorced, and she took
herself to remote locations
–
a
friend’s farm in Texas, her cabin
in California and her home in
NYC
–
to write, to follow her heart
and her craft, and to use those
environments to reflect on her
heartache and the road forward.
With a band of her favourite
musicians and good friend Sam
Beam along for the ride, Merritt
shines bright.
(Yep Roc/Redeye)
Denise Hylands
Childish Gambino
"Awaken, My Love!"
With each album, Donald Glover
and Childish Gambino edge ever
closer to becoming the ultimate
superbeing – soon enough, he’ll
ditch the pseudonym altogether.
Boogieman
sounds like it wouldn’t
be out of place as the intro on
Glover’s new show
Atlanta
,
and the evolution and soulful
progression of truth only continues
on
Baby Boy
. If you’re on the hunt
for the furthest departure from
3005
, you’ll wanna check out the
groovy, almost urban backbeats
of
Me and Your Mama
– the lead
single, and probably the rhythmic
outlier on the album. If you’ve
come to "
Awaken, My Love!"
expecting
Because The Internet
era Gambino, you will be left
wanting, but not disappointed
– this fresh, funky direction is a
welcome one.
(Universal) Alesha Kolbe
Austra
Future Politics
It says something when Oxford
Dictionary decides "post-truth" is
the word of the year. Post-truth:
an adjective defined as "relating to
circumstances in which facts are
less influential in shaping public
opinion than appeals to emotion
and personal belief". The lines
defining our lives and marking our
moral boundaries may be blurring,
but Austra is here with a musical
manifesto for positive action. The
innovative Canadian group have
just released
Future Politics
–
a
bold call for radical hope, or as
band leader Katie Stelmanis
says, "a commitment to replace
the approaching dystopia." It's a
compelling message carried
by Katie's commanding voice
across this collection of dance
anthems and paradigm-shifting
synth pop jams.
(Domino) SimonWinkler
Various
Leave On A Light - The Songs
Of Karl Broadie
Karl Broadie was a well loved and
highly talented singer songwriter,
producer, mentor and all round
nice guy. An expat Scot, he made
Australia home, and it became
where he established his alt-
country sound. Taken way too early
by an incurable illness, it was his
musical peers who came together
to hold benefit concerts and
leave a legacy of his craft in this
beautiful tribute album. Respect
and love is overflowing from this
special collection of Broadie’s
songs, performed by friends Kasey
& Bill Chambers, Catherine Britt,
Shane Nicholson, Diana Corcoran
and many more. May Broadie’s
light keep shining...
(Universal) Denise Hylands