STACK June 2016 Issue 140

REVIEWS

MUSIC

Tegan and Sara

Love You To Death

Whatever happened to those

raggedy alt-rock grrrls who came

from Canada for a few cosy pub

shows in 2003? They just sold

out Melbourne's ForumTheatre

in 12 hours? Oh. There's been

nothing alt about Tegan and

Sara since they hooked up with

synth-pop overlord Greg Kurstin

(Adele, Sia, Ellie Goulding) with

Heartthrob

in 2012. Album eight

is where they turn to plastic

completely, processed into shiny

pop bytes on a string of open

letters to wannabe-, almost- and

ex-girlfriends that sulk and rant like

eternal teens. Lord knows, they

got hooks. Lyrically? Well, sonnets

are, like, OMG, lol!!! ;) when

100X

and

B-W-U

are so much easier to

text.

(Warner) Michael Dwyer

adiohead

A Moon Shaped Pool

Moon Shaped Pool

reveals a band still

ompletely fascinated by the properties of sound.

adiohead want to show the plastic bones or

ooden heart or optic-fibre veins of the noises

hey create, even if those things seem scary –

here’s a constant tug of war between the horror of

he familiar and the beauty of the bizarre. Although

piano and strings are the stars on this release, there are contemplative

pockets and fervid layers in which other things emerge or take over:

the swoop and chop of reversed vocals and percussive instruments,

electronic plinks like celestial windchimes, and vocals which confirm

ThomYorke’s talent for turning routine phrases into oddly disturbing

maxims.

Tinker Tailor...

showcases the sublime peculiarities of orchestral

strings;

Identikit

’s curt rimshots threaten to spill over into deep floor toms,

and

The Numbers

uses bells and low piano chords to drive its message:

Yorke sings with steely calm, “The future is inside us, it’s not somewhere

else, take back what is ours.” For all the cosmic hallmarks,

A Moon

Shaped Pool

seems to be terrestrial – it’s a message about our place here

and how tenuous and charmed it is, as well as our responsibilities to the

soil under our feet. Its title suggests that although we can see into the

sky, and we see its beauty, it’s a reflection of earthly magic.

(Remote Control/Inertia) Zoë Radas

Wabz

Sleep Less

Wabz is a wunderkind, a producer

who’s spent the past few years

carving a niche in the dynamic

local music scene. There are

strong references to innovators

of the past in his carefully

constructed beats: traces of the

early UK garage scene, echoes

of the pirate radio dubstep

underground. But there’re also

signs of the new and the next in

his forward thinking rhythms. After

the absorbing

Argyle

debut LP,

Sleep Less

is a further showcase

of the Melbourne artist’s avant-

styles. It’s an appropriate name for

the hazy, dubbed-out, insomnia-

filtered atmospheres on offer

here. Wabz’ shadowy beats have

a nocturnal feel, a minimalism and

a tension that’s tempered by their

soothing melodies and subdued

tones.

(Solitaire) SimonWinkler