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here’re two great boldnesses

toThe Basics which have

always hiked the trio up into

the most venerated stable of Aussie

artists: they’ve a dauntless interest in

contemporary issues, and they’ve a

temerarious disregard for slavery to a

consistent sound.

The Age of

Entitlement

evokes theTheWhitlams

and Midnight Oil in several pieces of its

sociopolitical perspective, but there’s

also reams of Paul Simon’s gentle

observational skill all over; meanwhile,

the guys lean their arms as far out of

their indie pop-rock scenic rollercoaster

as they like, covering soulfully wrought

ballads, buoyant Stax pep-pop and

punky, Clash-like spoken words flung

amongst jangly electric guitar.

Lamenting opened

Whatever

Happened toTheWorking Class

rhymes its title lyric with “We’ve got

politicians sitting on their arse,” while

the absolute belter

Time Poor

marches

through some great lyrics: “They give

us news that’s made for children/ and

racist crap from Andrew Bolt/ When

they said they’d stop the boats, they

meant they’d hide them/ Far too busy

to bother with that lot,” Kris Schroeder

boils, with synchronised grunts and

throwaway comments obviously

recorded at the fringes of songs.

Every

Part of Me

is a minimal, sprightly gem

which twitches with rimshots and

gorgeous, measured piano accents, and

then comes that beatific voice we

know so well:

Roundabout

and

Good

Times, Sunshine

put Wally De Backer’s

inimitable pipes front and centre, the

latter with a loose, galloping snare and

Motown-inspired harmonies. Single

Tunomba Saidia

(like

GoodTimes,

Sunshine

) has been lifted from last

year’s EP

The Lucky Country

, and it’s a

great guide to what these boys are

capable of, with a jovial afrobeat and

lyrics tracing a story of Ugandan

refugees travelling to Australia only to

be sent to an unnamed island where

their pitiful fate awaits them. Important

and incredible.

(MGM) Zo

Radas

AUGUST 2015

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MUSIC

EVOLUTIONS

ONTH

Belters, Must-Hears,

Assorted Musical Wonders

and Other Curiosities

The Basics

The Age Of Entitlement

The gappy-toothed dish (full

disclosure: would marry) has laid

another treasure on us with this

“mini-LP.” It’s got the crooked guitar, bowed piano and

swerving organ that’ve become staples of DeMarco’s

woozy and benevolent style, but there’s a significant

maturation from previous release

Salad Days

. The

production is miles cleaner, and does far more justice

to the lazy punch of the drums, the way DeMarco

bends into his chords (notably on

The Way You Love

Her

and

Just to Put

Me Down

), and the

weirdly briny tone of the

electric guitar. His organ

and piano parts are

thoughtful while still bat-

crazy; there’s basically

a new confidence in

rhythm and melody

which remains utterly

DeMarco all over. Closer

My House By the Water

is a gorgeous two

minute instrumental

involving the sound of the sea; make sure you listen

to the end, because DeMarco has left a li’l message in

his calm, slacker-Canuck accent: it’s what I presume is

his real address, followed by an offer of home-made

coffee if you stop by. Going by his famously relaxed

fan cook-outs (see: Instagram), he’s not joking.

(Spunk) Zo

Radas

Mac DeMarco

Another One

Sweet Baboo is Stephen Black, a Welshman whose

aberrant pop recalls the works of his homeland’s

idiosynchratic luminaries (we’re thinking Super

Furry Animals and Gruff Rhys). This is a collection of

sweetly warped, acoustic-based love songs with little

wriggles of mariachi brass, strings, organ, and simple

vocal harmonies that Black lays out in the honest and

jaunty fashion of early ‘60s pop. It’s impossible not

to be charmed by the dry humour laced throughout,

particularly when it comes to the cute, conversational

Got to Hang Onto You

(“All I wanna do is play you all

my favourite records/ Some of which are yours, and

despite my best efforts, I like”), as well as the Cate Le

Bon-penned

I Just Want to Be Good

, in which Black’s

aerial vocals sound like some of Damon Albarn’s most

delicate stuff but with even more shivering bravery

(“I’m a lovely little man/ I look good on paper”). He’s

talented, unabashed, and a lo-fi goofball, which is a

perfect prescription.

(Liberator/Mushroom) Zo

Radas

Sweet Baboo

The Boombox Ballads

Welcome back

Frank! Finally

one of punk

rock’s most

volatile and vehement vocalists has

returned to his rightful place at the

front of a legitimate punk rock band.

After marching UK band Gallows to

the worldwide stage before tipping

himself off of it, Carter tried his hand

at pop music in Pure Love, but this

Rattlesnakes’ album is where he truly

shines. Fuzzy and furious,

Blossom

is indeed a riotous revolution for

Carter and his crew. “Even on my

own,” bitter lead single

Juggernaut

warns, “you can’t stop me. I am a

juggernaut.”

(Kobalt) Emily Kelly

Frank Carter And

The Rattlesnakes

Blossom

STACK

Picks

Time Poor, Every Part of

Me, Tunomba Saidia