STACK Feb Issue 124

FEBRUARY 2015

JB Hi-Fi

www.jbhifi.com.au/music

Ghost Culture

‘How strange, I’m satisfied,’ sings James Greenwood on the second track of his debut

album as Ghost Culture. That sense of quiet wonderment, and of keeping ennui just at

bay, pervades the record, which hinges musically on the point where moody synth-pop

gives way to an all-night dance marathon. The English singer, songwriter and producer

channels New Order, Depeche Mode and O.M.D, never forgetting to articulate his

emotions – even when surrounding himself in pulsing electronics. It’s easy to see why

Ghost Culture has became practically an overnight sensation right from opener

Mouth

an addictive slow-burn that doesn’t introduce vocals until the two-minute mark. There’s

a head-swimming lullaby vibe to the closing

The Fog,

while mini-epic

Answer

is probably

the most insistently danceable track. Songs like

Giudecca

and

Glaciers

take a breathily

intimate pop heart and stretch it into something more diffuse and floating. If at first

Greenwood can sound merely like headphone comfort food, and not nearly as distinctive

as his forebears, the nuances of his work reveal themselves gradually. Sometime it’s a

lyric, a bass line, or a synth squiggle – but there’s increasingly more to pore over.

Warner

Zun Zun Egui

Shackle’s Gift

F*ck Buttons’ Andrew Hung produced the blistering second album by

Zun Zun Egui, a UK collective formed by African guitarist/singer Kushal

Gaya and Japanese keyboardist Yoshino Shigihara. Their sound is a

giddy explosion of punk, jazz, funk, psych, and much more. They’re

able to evoke Talking Heads on

African Tree

and Dirty Projectors on

Tickle the Line

, but

also The Mars Volta on

City Thunder

and Led Zeppelin on

I Want You to Know

. Plus,

Late

Bloomer

is like an Afrobeat dance party crashed by stoner-rock thugs.

XL/Remote Control/Inertia

Ibeyi

Despite being just 19, French Cuban twins Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz

make a strong debut as piano/percussion duo Ibeyi. Rhythms are key, as

proven by the snappy beats on

River

and

Weatherman,

but the vocals

often steal the show. Oya is a dead ringer for Björk vocally, while other

turns are more rooted in R’n’B and gospel. There’s also a real emphasis on harmonies.

These 13 songs can resemble each other too much at times, but the sheer potential is

staggering. Expect to hear a lot about these ladies this year

XL/Remote Control/Inertia

All We Are

Globe-trotting trio All We Are may reside in Liverpool, but the members

hail from Brazil, Norway and Ireland. Even this debut album was

conceived partly in Norway and North Wales. Their sound is similarly

diverse, employing the dreamy haze of modern indie as well as funk

guitar and soul falsetto. It’s a warm combination on tunes like

I Wear You

, and producer

Dan Carey (Bat For Lashes, M.I.A.) really knows how to embellish a record’s atmosphere,

but there’s ultimately too much vagueness for anything to stick.

Domino/EMI/Universal

Public Service Broadcasting

The Race for Space

London duo Public Service Broadcasting are an unlikely success story, jumping from

toying around with old radio samples to playing Glastonbury and supporting The Rolling

Stones. Their second LP is essentially a concept album built around samples from the

real-life space race, but it leans too heavily on its source material. While there are thrills to certain guitar-

riddled climaxes and synth-stoked tension, a similar conceit was done much better by Melbourne’s Black Cab

on last year’s

Games from the XXI Olympiad.

This drawn-out, hit-and-miss effort pales in comparison.

Inertia

Doug Wallen

dances with himself.

Purity Ring

Another Eternity

Another Eternity

is the second album from synth-pop specialists Purity

Ring. Canadian duo Megan James and Corin Roddick earned an early

reputation for their haunting electronic sounds, influenced in part by the

abstract hip-hop they were listening to at the time. This album reveals a

new stage in their evolution, an even bolder range of R&B and pop inspired material.

Begin

Again

is a good example, a confident reach into vivid synth-pop territory. Megan herself has

described this as one of the more direct songs the band has written, an unobscured love

story. It’s representative of the clarity, the honesty, and also the otherworldly transcendent

pop elements that comprise this strong release.

Remote Control/Inertia

Mark Ronson

Uptown Special

Mark Ronson is perhaps one of the best connected artists in modern

pop music. A talented producer with an appreciation for vintage funk,

Ronson is a tremendous mediator in the music world, and a conduit for

greatness. He’s famously collaborated with Amy Winehouse, and worked

with Kaiser Chiefs, Duran Duran and Rufus Wainwright, but here he brings together choir

soloist Keyone Starr, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon, Stevie Wonder, and

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. It’s an all-star cast for an all-star record of literary pop, soul,

psych and rock. Not quite a concept album, but the ideas and personnel are all cohesive

and strong.

Sony

Belle and Sebastian

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

Belle and Sebastian are a modern pop institution. The Scottish ensemble

are responsible for nine albums of eloquent indie rock. Of course, there are

highlights in the rich catalogue, but most of their LPs are as elegant, wry,

sincere and smart as the others. Belle and Sebastian are also known for surprises, and there are

a few to be found here – not least of which is a Europop disco number named

Enter Sylvia Plath

It’s one of several dancefloor focused songs, including outstanding lead single

The Party Line

showing the group in as spirited a mood as ever and ready to move.

Remote Control/Inertia

Connan Mockasin

Forever Dolphin Love

It’s been a few years since this album first surfaced, but

Forever Dolphin Love

remains as elusive and engaging as the day of release. It’s a testament to the

skill of New Zealand-born Connan Mockasin, an idiosyncratic writer of ethereal

pop and somnolent pysch. Songs like

It’s Choade My Dear

float like a melodic

fog, and

Faking Jazz Together

drifts with a mysterious purpose. Fans of his most recent album,

Caramel,

know how Mockasin plays with unconventional song structures and imbues an almost

tactile quality to the music. Post-

Caramel

fans will find much to enjoy here, and earlier admirers

will relish the chance to revisit this unique LP.

Warner

Jessica Pratt

On Your Own Love Again

Jessica Pratt’s debut album was a pure revelation when it arrived, seemingly from

nowhere, in 2012. Like an undiscovered folk masterpiece of the late ‘60s or early ‘70s,

the record was a perfect showcase for Jessica’s compelling voice, acoustic melodies

and melancholic stories. The recordings were homemade, and exhibited an uncommon

warmth and intimacy in their gently faded, tapeworn state. Jessica’s second album

On Your Own Love Again

is eagerly anticipated, and provides another glimpse into her

unique songwriting world. The arrangements are again relatively sparse, although at

various points an electric guitar, keyboards, and some layered harmonies add to the

richness of the sonic surrounds.

Strange Melody

perhaps stands out the most with

its drone-based qualities. Plaintive, contemplative, uplifting and inspiring, the album

shows how very much can still be produced with the essential elements of songcraft

and a subtle ear for melody and atmosphere.

Mistletone/Caroline/Universal

Simon Winkler knows all the meanings of the word ‘pop’.

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