STACK November 2016 Issue 145

76 / 128

Big Smoke
Time Is Golden
It’s a hell of a story. While
working on Big Smoke’s debut
album, singer Adrian Slattery
was diagnosed with oesophageal
cancer. Between bouts of
chemotherapy and brain surgery,
he recorded the album. “We
can’t stop now,” Slattery sings in
the opening cut. “We’re gonna
find out how we can turn it into
something good.” Sadly, Slattery
died in May, aged 30. His mates
rallied, raising the funds to mix the
album. The result is an excellent
record, showcasing a fine singer
who knew how to write a nifty
alt-country tune. It’s a life-affirming
record, and a bittersweet triumph.
Time is golden, indeed.
(Barely Dressed/Remote
Control) Jeff Jenkins
Paul Kelly and Charlie
Owen Death's Dateless Night
Paul Kelly is not afraid to mix
things up. Six months after his
Shakespeare album, Seven
Sonnets & A Song, Kelly joins
forces with guitarist Charlie Owen
to deliver a collection of funeral
songs. The album – which takes
its title from a Shakespeare
sonnet – sees them tackle tracks
such as Townes Van Zandt’s To
Live Is to Fly, The Beatles’ Let It
Be and Maurice Frawley’s Good
Things. “They’re not always sad,
of course,” Kelly says. “They tend
towards the philosophical, wide
and deep in scope.” Strangely
uplifting, the album also shows
what a fine singer Kelly is. His
wonderfully expressive yet
understated voice is capable of
conveying every emotion.
(Gawdaggie/Universal)
Jeff Jenkins
eff Rosenstock
ORRY.
ever has an album about mental illness and
nrest felt more pertinent and necessary.
orever with his finger on the punk rock pulse,
eff Rosenstock has dedicated an entire
lbum to worry; or more specifically anxiety,
epression and their many moody bedfellows.
In just over 35 minutes, WORRY. feels like a particularly well-timed
album as it addresses the crippling social anxiety felt by his peers on
any given day, or in some more specific instances, in the lead up to the
2016 US presidential election. Iced with Rosenstock’s signature punk
rock renegade attitude, WORRY. is an important time and place album.
(CookingVinyl) Emily Kelly
Heart Beach Kiss Your Face
Waves roll heavy with ancient
emotions into the peaceful harbour
of Heart Beach. The Hobart band
are keen observers of the tides,
harnessing their power to create
affecting and effective guitar pop.
Listen carefully and you can hear
sonar blasts from the past, the
plaintive melodies and moods of
'80s post punk and scuzzy '90s
garage new wave reach the surface,
but Heart Beach follow their own
currents into new oceans of feeling.
Sometimes songs are sunlit and
shimmering, other times grey and
shivering in the cold. The 'kiss' of
the title could be a gentle breeze,
or the sting of wind-borne sand.
Brittle, for instance reflects on the
debris of love lost, the lines carried
by rough rock guitars and aching
harmonies. (Spunk)
SimonWinkler
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76 NOVEMBER 2016
MUSIC REVIEWS
Agnes Obel Citizen of Glass
Agnes Obel is an artist who paints
whole worlds with sound. Layers
and layers of instruments and
manipulated, tones are sung,
performed, recorded and arranged.
The vistas that Obel builds
are immense, full of ideas and
imagination; for the string parts,
250 tracks were combined, and
Agnes' own vocals are altered and
harmonised into multi-part choruses.
To press play on this record is to
be immersed in Agnes' vision, a
place inspired by glass, literal and
metaphorical. Songs and lyrics
are designed to be clear, smooth
and strong, yet also fragile with
dangerous edges. A resilient sadness
shines beneath the surface, reflected
in the themes of loss and passage
of time. The resulting record is a
playground for the listener: crystalline
ballads and sharp orchestral pop
suites tower as if landmarks to
explore. (PIAS) SimonWinkler
Empire of the Sun
Two Vines
Two Vines is the anomaly of a Dali
exhibition come to life in the form
of two heavenly music angels.
As expected, Luke Steele and
Nick Littlemore’s third album is
nothing short of magical. What
their previous albums were to
futurisim and icy wonderlands is
what Two Vines is to a gorgeous
Tarzan-ian forest overtaking the
modern world. While their spacy
and synth-y sound may seem like
it would be a step backwards from
earthiness, it’s easy to feel well
connected to the planet while
breathing in the life essence of
every song. May the breezy wind
from Before, the soothing crash of
cold waves in To Her Door, and the
fiery single High and Low bring you
much needed peace.
(EMI) Savannah Douglas
Lady Gaga
Joanne
Mother Monster has evolved into
a grand goddess, and she has
us all on our knees worshipping
Joanne. The theatrics are stripped
back; Gaga's rough but silvery
voice gives us a surprising folky/
country vibe with a kick of Fame.
If her previous albums were
tasked with getting our attention,
then Joanne’s purpose is to give
Gaga’s crazy soul a voice. Working
with accomplished producer
Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse),
Gaga proves she’s incapable of
being pigeonholed – and for those
hoping for wild antics, have no
fear. Give Dancin’ In Circles and
Just Another Day a few listens and
you’ll be fawning.
(Universal) Savannah Douglas