STACK Magazine April 2015 Issue 126

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096 APRIL 2015 JB Hi-Fi
Gang of Four
What Happens Next
This band should be called 'Gang
of One'. You see, they’ve stopped
and split on numerous occasions,
but without singer Jon King, nor
bassist Dave Allen... well, what we
have here is a solo album from a
great guitarist with guest singers
(Alison Mosshart of The Kills being
a known identity) and a completely
alternate sound erring on some
weird alterno/m.o.r/cut-n-paste;
nothing like what Gang of Four is
amazing at releasing, writing or
achieving. Not aware of the band’s
history? Grab a copy of their
debut, Entertainment. You’ll play it
on high rotation for the majority of
your life. Already a fan? Just listen
to the debut again, for God’s sake.
(Shock) Chris Murray
Skipping Girl Vinegar The Great Wave
It's the last wave of summer. Skipping Girl Vinegar’s
third album – their first in four years –
is filled with references to water. Usually, it’s joyous,
but sometimes there’s a dark undercurrent. The
pulsating opener, Dance Again, sets the scene.
A celebration of youth (“first love feels like a roller
coaster”), it also captures the joy of music, telling the tale of going to a
Phoenix show with “phony IDs”, “pushing to the front as the lights go low”.
If only life was as much fun as your first concert. The Great Wave deals
with adult themes, Here Comes The River is a heartbreaking meditation on
mortality, and the title of Weary World says it all. But there’s a relentless spirit
at the heart of this album. “When life feels like it’s crashing in,” Mark Lang
sings, “one deep breath and you’re living life again.” Lang is a fine storyteller,
with a voice warm and believable. These are campfire sing-alongs and SGV
make you feel like you’re there beside them. And in the end, your best option
is to “leave the past and all the things that haunt you”, and “throw your arms
into the night and run”. Catch this wave. (Secret Fox/MGM) Jeff Jenkins
Van Morrison
Duets: Re-Working the
Catalogue
For his 35th studio album,
Morrison revisits 16 songs from
his vast catalogue (avoiding
popular hitsin favour of lesser
known songs), mostly from post
-1980 releases. Using a variety of
musicians and fresh arrangements,
he shares vocals with artists who
inspired his earliest recordings,
like Bobby Womack, Taj Mahal and
Mavis Staples. Contemporaries
Chris Farlowe, Steve Winwood,
Georgie Fame (and on Whatever
Happened to P.J. Proby – yes – P.J.
Proby) join him, amongst others;
George Benson, Michael Buble,
Natalie Cole, Mark Knopfler and
Mick Hucknall are outstanding on
the Veedon Fleeces song Streets
of Arklow. (Sony Music) Billy Pinnell
Calexico
Edge of the Sun
Joey Burns and John Convertino,
the main members of Calexico,
are strongly influenced by the
south-western desert plains of
their home state of Arizona, and
the sounds of Mexico that drift
over the border. Kick-starting the
writing process for this album
south of that border has pleasantly
inspired their latest release.
Filled with the space of a far-off
spaghetti western as well as
fiesta sounds of the south, they
transport you away accompanied
by many friends including Neko
Case, Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam,
Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell, and
several others. Put it on repeat and
pretend you're somewhere else...
(Spunk/Caroline/Universal)
Denise Hylands
Marlon Williams
Marlon Williams
Such is the velvet wonder of
his voice, this expat Kiwi could
probably move you to tears by
singing entries from the phone
book. Fortunately for his self-titled
debut album, Williams has come
up with a classy set of originals
and covers that provide the best
possible showcase for his golden
tenor. Although steeped in trad-
folk and country, there are some
intriguing diversions, as well as a
lovely reading of Bob Carpenter’s
recently rediscovered Laurel
Canyon classic Silent Passage.
The haunting first single Dark Child
suggests Williams would also be
right at home with Nick Cave’s
songbook.
(Caroline/Universal) John Ferguson
Strung Out
Transmission. Alpha. Delta
It’s been six years since vintage
Californian punk rockers Strung
Out released their last album.
For a band whose international
fanbase borders on bonkers, it
was a particularly arduous wait;
not least because it never was
entirely clear whether or not the
band – 25 years deep – would
create again. Vocalist Jason Cruz
insists he doesn’t want “Strung
Out to be a nostalgia punk band”;
the new LP is deeply rooted in the
late '90s skate punk era, though
in typical Strung Out fashion, it’s
far more melodic and technically
impressive than anything their
Fat Wreck peers are offering at
present. Welcome back, legends.
(FatWreck Chords/Shock) Emily Kelly
Daniel Johns
Aerial EP
He’s all grown up. Nearly 20 years
to the day after Silverchair’s debut
album, Daniel Johns is out on his
own. “Now I dance to my own
beat,” he declares in opening
cut, Preach. This four-track EP,
which comes eight years after
Silverchair’s last album, is a
tease. An intoxicating mix of
Frank Ocean and Peter Gabriel, it
leaves you wanting more. In some
ways, the title track reminds of
Darren Hayes’ debut solo single,
Insatiable; sensual and soulful, that
song also showed the power of a
brand, with Hayes failing to match
the success of Savage Garden.
What fate awaits Daniel Johns?
(Eleven Music/Universal)
Jeff Jenkins
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