STACK June 2016 Issue 140

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20 JUNE 2016
MUSIC
ume Skin
ume manages to prove his talent time and time
ain. Harley Streten is a Sydneysider with a
ssion for smart electro-pop – one that's glued
e public to his side, resulting in four of his tracks
aking Triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2012. Known
st as much for his remixes as for his singles –
no doubt you’ve heard his take on Hermitude’s
Hyperparadise or Lorde’s Tennis Court – Flume’s second LP promises
great things. Never Be Like You is already doing the rounds, and resonates
with its plea to “Please just look me in my face, tell me everything’s
okay," while Tove Lo’s feature on Say It genuinely shows just how far
this little garage rocker has come. The electricity ripples through opener
Helix, however there’s a thoughtful deceleration at When Everything
Was New that suggests perhaps a new direction for the producer.
These instrumental tracks are a change for ol’ Harley, inviting us into
an imaginarium of our own creation. Skin’s closer, Tiny Cities, featuring
Beck – yeah, that Beck – combines that new, slower pace with Flume's
distinctive beats and rhythms that’ve been around since Hyperparadise.
There’s no doubting it – he’s holdin’ on. (Future Classic) Alesha Kolbe
There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)
He'd enjoyed a successful self-titled solo album (after the
Simon and Garfunkel break-up) with the hits Mother and
Child Reunion and Me and Julio, but here he confidently
extended his interest in music beyond pop/folk/rock and
scooped up influences from the Caribbean (Take Me to the
Mardi Gras ), doo-wop/gospel (the Dixie Hummingbirds on
She Loves Me Like a Rock) and classical music (Bach on the
insightful American Tune). St Judy's Comet is a lovely, self-
referencing lullaby and the melody of Tenderness could have
come from the '40s. Nice stuff.
Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)
Jammed with radio-friendly songs (the title track, 50 Ways
to Leave Your Lover and Gone At Last with Phoebe Snow),
this was also typically reflective (My Little Town, Night
Game) and political (Silent Eyes is about Israel being in the
crosshairs). The execution is impeccable (jazz musicians
and Patti Austin) and Simon – again – had something to say
about himself and our world.
Surprise (1996)
On this companion to its excellent predecessor You're The
One, Simon again made the personal (family, self-doubt,
disillusionment) into universal concerns. Yet he was also
ambivalent, evocative and dryly witty. His comeback
was complete after just two disappointing albums in the
'90s (Rhythm of the Saints and The Caveman). Brain Eno
provided sonic effects and the players included Bill Frisell,
Herbie Hancock and Steve Gadd. At 64 he was still pushing
himself.
So Beautiful or So What (2011)
By this point many perhaps felt they'd had enough Simon
in their lives already. But they missed this slow-burner
which sounds as current as newspaper headlines, woven
through with stories and questions, and – as on Graceland
– his astute lyrics and voice were just part of the world-
music textures. Mortality might have been on his mind (he
was 70) but he came alive on this release. Recommended.
His recording career started over half a century ago
and his new album Stranger to Stranger is his 13th
studio outing under his own name. So – setting aside
his work with Art Garfunkel and assuming you already
have Graceland – where to start with Paul Simon?
PAUL SIMON
And also...
His debut solo album The Paul Simon Songbook, recorded in London in
1965, contains seeds of genius (I Am a Rock, The Sound of Silence, etc)
and is worth attention. There are also many compilations (notably last year's
Ultimate Collection which included some S&G songs) if you want to cheat,
but Paul Simon's albums are best appreciated in their entirety.
For more interviews, reviews and overviews from Graham Reid visit
Air
Twentyears
The term ‘chill-out’ is bandied
about constantly, usually referring
to inane softcore R&B one hears
in a café which charges $30 for
eggs on toast… but not with Air.
The self-proclaimed French Band
duo have delivered silky tones
to the ear canals for indeed two
decades, as well as a soundtrack
for Sofia Coppola’s film The Virgin
Suicides (amazing) and dabbles in
more upbeat offerings to varying
success.
Spread over three discs, this an
exhaustive journey through rain-
soaked pleasure, rare ditties and
live odds and sods. They float,
they soar; escape into bliss
(Warner) Chris Murray
Mumford & Sons
Johannesberg EP
If you came expecting an
abundance of banjo (which
most probably did), you may
be disappointed. However, the
departure from the stringed
beast is a welcome direction
for Mumford & Sons, as
Johannesburg takes listeners on
a journey despite the language
barrier. Conceived and recorded
while on tour in South Africa,
the EP was produced with the
help of Baaba Maal, Beatenberg
and The Very Best, and you can
definitely see where its roots lie.
Johannesburg is only five tracks
long, but each packs its own
punch and demands to be heard.
(Dew Process) Alesha Kolbe