STACK July 2017 Issue 153

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18 JULY 2017
visit MUSIC REVIEWS
Raised by Eagles
I Must be Somewhere
After two acclaimed indie albums,
Melbourne roots rockers Raised
By Eagles have signed a record
deal and delivered a swaggeringly
assured third album. Fronted by
two fine singers and guitarists
– Luke Sinclair and Nick O’Mara
(with production duties handled
by Nick’s cousin, Melbourne guitar
legend Shane O’Mara) – the sound
is classic Americana: no gadgets,
no studio trickery, just real
musicians playing real good
songs on real instruments.
Sounds almost revolutionary in
2017. Get this one on vinyl and
file next to Ryan Adams, Jason
Isbell and The Dingoes. Yep, it’s
that good. I Must Be Somewhere:
Raised By Eagles have arrived.
ABC/Universal
Jeff Jenkins
Grinspoon
Guide to Better Living
They were young, they were loud
and they were brash. Grinspoon
– Phil Jamieson, Pat Davern, Joe
Hansen and Kristian Hopes –
were alive on arrival when they
landed with their debut album in
1997. The self-help title was just
one example of the band’s sense
of humour – the record
also included a song called
DC x 3, which stood for 'Dead Cat
3 Times'. Filled with five singles,
Guide To Better Living is a post-
grunge classic – all manic energy
and monstrous riffs.
The 20th anniversary edition
expands the original 16-song
offering to 49 tracks, with B-sides,
an unreleased song, plus the
band live at legendary NY venue
C.B.G.B, and the 1997 Falls
Festival. Just Ace!
(Universal) Jeff Jenkins
Tex, Don and Charlie
You Don’t Know Lonely
A pattern seems to be emerging here. Tex Perkins,
Don Walker and Charlie Owen released their first
album together, Sad But True, in 1993. The follow-
up, All Is Forgiven, arrived in 2005, and now comes
their third offering, so it looks like we’re getting an
album every 12 years. “I’ve never been a company
man,” Walker declares at the start of the record. Indeed, he’s always
been a beautiful contrarian. This collaboration is also a great outfit for
Perkins, who’s like the Jack Thompson or Russell Crowe of the rock world,
possessing a voice with perfect pitch and resonance. It’s a storyteller’s
voice, and these are gripping stories. It’s not a cheery record, even if the
closing cut is a slice of Aussie gospel called How Good Is Life. The men
in these songs are not necessarily bad, but they’re not entirely good,
either. A Man In Conflict With Nature tells the tale of a guy who gets lucky
at the greyhounds, but then finds himself with no money for a taxi home
after squandering his winnings on “three hookers and some sushi”.
You Don’t Know Lonely is compelling from go to whoa – or woe, you could
say. Can’t wait for the fourth album, in 2029. (Emi/Universal)
Jeff Jenkins
Major Leagues
Good Love
Think Best Coast meets Pavement
and you’ll get Major Leagues,
Brisbane’s much loved lo-fi
quartet who have released their
much anticipated debut album
Good Love. Across 12 tracks the
band pair catchy hooks, breezy
guitar lines and bittersweet lyrics
guaranteed to win the heart of
every indie music lover, while
showing off their impressive skill
as musicians. A track like It Was
Always You would be a perfect
addition to the soundtrack of
film starring Michael Cera, while
closing track HowWill The Heart
Know? is equal parts melancholy
and uplifting. Good Love is an
album to cherish and the perfect
entry point to a band who have big
things ahead of them.
(Pop Frenzy/Inertia)
Holly Pereira
Josh Pyke
The Best Of,
B-Sides & Rarities
It’s a big year for Sydney’s Josh
Pyke – he’s turning 40, celebrating
the 10th anniversary of his
debut album, and releasing his
first compilation. This generous,
40-track collection, including two
new songs, shows how prolific
and consistent Pyke has been.
A melody master, it’s astonishing
that he’s had just two Top 40
singles – Memories & Dust and
Lines On Palms – though all
five studio albums have cracked
the Top 10. Pyke’s folk-tinged
suburban stories are like a cool
breeze on a summer’s day – you
can’t help but smile. If you’re yet
to buy a Josh Pyke album, this is
the perfect place to start.
(Ivy League/Universal)
Jeff Jenkins
Steve Earle
So You Want to be an Outlaw
Steve Earle promised his next
album would be country, and here
it is: loaded with twanging pedal
steel, swinging fiddle and Earle
playing a ’66 Fender Telecaster,
channeling Waylon Jennings, to
whom this album is dedicated.
With his highly talented band
The Dukes, he pays homage to
the country outlaws who’ve been
his longtime inspiration. Joined by
Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush and
Miranda Lambert, songs range
from dealing with his recent
divorce, to honouring his good
friend, the late Guy Clark.
A deluxe issue features songs
by Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver and
Jennings. Keeping the 'outlaw' in
country...
(Warner Music)
Denise Hylands
Tommy Emmanuel
Live! At the Ryman
In February 2016, Tommy
Emmanuel fulfilled a life-long
dream, playing his first solo show
at Nashville's historic Ryman
Auditorium. Inspired by Nashville
guitar legends Chet Atkins and
Merle Travis, Emmanuel has
achieved world-wide recognition
for his complex finger-style
acoustic guitar technique, captured
magnificently on this recording.
Among original songs are inventive
arrangements of compositions
by Travis, Doc Watson, Merle
Haggard, in addition to Classical
Gas, Over The Rainbow, and a
Beatles medley that includes
While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Emmanuel adds vocals here and
there, while Nashville guitarists
Steve Wariner and John Knowles
make cameo appearances.
(Sony) Billy Pinnell