STACK July 2016 Issue 141

92 / 104

Garbage
Strange Little Birds
Shirley Manson told us 20 years
ago she's only happy when it
rains. But oh dear. When the
storm breaks, pitter-patter, at the
start of Night Drive Loneliness,
it's her cue to slip on high heels,
lipstick and blue velvet dress to
go do something unspeakable.
In Sometimes she's the woman
scorned, hammering at your cellar
door and singing just a little too
softly for comfort. Between the
metallic shears of Blackout her
frustration rises to a seething
pitch that would spook Chrissie
Amphlett. The band's razor-
sharp cut-and-paste aesthetic is
distinctive as ever, as belching
guitars and crisp, mechanical
drums interweave with ripping
Velcro and oxygen tank rasps.
(Liberator) Michael Dwyer
visit MUSIC REVIEWS
22 JULY 2016
MUSIC
Ramones (1976)
In an iconic street-punk cover (get it on vinyl so you can
frame it) the group delivered a classic debut which in
places sounded like The Beach Boys on speed – 14 songs
in less than 30 minutes – and forged their love of '60s girl
groups, flat-tack rock'n'roll and a view from the glue-sniffin'
corners of NewYork in the damaged and dangerous '70s.
Bottled electrotherapy punk-pop... and the just-released 40th
Anniversary Deluxe Edition comes as three CDs (remastered
stereo and mono mixes, outtakes, demos and live material)
and the vinyl.
Leave Home (1976)
Again chock-full of classic songs and riffs (Gimme Gimme
Shock Treatment, I Remember You, Carbona Not Glue, Suzy
Is A Headbanger, California Sun) but again it didn't do as
well as it should have. That became the Ramones story:
critical acclaim but no chart gain.
Rocket To Russia (1977)
Third essential album in a row (Rockaway Beach, Sheena
is a Punk Rocker, Teenage Lobotomy, I Can't Give You
Anything alongside '50s covers Do You Wanna Dance?
and Surfin' Bird) but again, disappointing sales. It looked
like their career might be as short as their songs, but they
soldiered on for almost two decades, mostly to diminishing
sales and song quality returns.
It's Alive (1979)
Recorded live in London on December 31, 1977, this
release captured them at their peak. The setlist drew on
cornerstone songs from those first three albums, and they
set a land-speed record delivering them: 28 songs in 54
minutes. One of the classic live albums.
Hey! Ho! Let's go! Here are the key albums by the band
that wasThe Beatles for brats – NewYork's classic punk-
pop group known for their “1-2-3-4” no-mucking-about
performances and memorable, economic songs.
RAMONES
And also...
Yes, you can cheat because the 99 double-CD set Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The
Anthology scooped up 58 songs (all their classics) from right across their
career. It confirmed the band were smarter than they looked and deserved
better in their era than they got. One of the truly great rock'n'roll bands, and
– just like the young Beatles – they had a band uniform. How could they not
succeed?
For more interviews, reviews and overviews from Graham Reid visit
Hey Geronimo
Crashing Into The Sun
Rarely does psychedelic guitar-pop
sound so downright excitable. Hey
Geronimo already marked their
humour with the TISM homage
Boredom featuring lions of the
Brisbane music scene, and that
sense of irreverence and cheek
bears out across Crashing Into
The Sun. With all the fun of, well,
the band fun. and cosmic-sized
arrangements which evoke Martian
marching bands and rocketing
riffs, Hey Geronimo take the
blueprints of your Pink Floyds and
Bowies and Sgts Pepper and make
confetti, pushing odes to making
the best of life’s constant struggle.
If you found comfort in Mika or
the aforementioned fun. or even
the diverse rhythms of Vampire
Weekend or Animal Collective, you’ll
find a lot to like here.
(Chugg/Inertia) Jake Cleland
Ngaiire
Blastoma
Opening with a thickening roar which flays out into
an industrial, Bjork-ish beat, Blastoma instantly
provides a dramatic backdrop for the power and
grace of Ngaiire’s dynamic voice.
These are fascinating arrangements from
producers Paul Mac and Jack Grace, with a ton
of radiant ideas: Smooth, warm synths provide a canvas for the more
intricate sonic details of percussion and electronic melody, as well as the
fine care Ngaiire puts into her vocal tone. Her delicate, high harmonies
shine over the robust curls of the primary melodies, and she occasionally
includes aching burrs at the tail-ends of notes.
Ngaiire’s voice is full of languid beauty but there’s so much energy
brewing underneath that she never sounds lazy. She’s sung back-up
for Chet Faker and Blue King Brown, and then went on to support John
Legend and Alicia Keys; Blastoma shows us this personification of
feminine strength and vulnerability has more than enough belief and skill
to hold her own as a solo artist.
(Sony) Zoë Radas