STACK February 2016 Issue 136

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Mavis Staples
Livin' On A High Note
In her seventy-seventh year, living
legend Mavis Staples is enjoying
one of the most prolific periods of
an extraordinary career that now
spans six decades.
On the back of two recent
releases and an award-winning
documentary film titled Mavis,
the iconic singer is about to
release a new album of songs
written specifically for her by a
diverse collection of contemporary
writers that include Nick Cave,
Ben Harper, Son Little, Benjamin
Booker, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon
and Neko Case. Among these
joyful, uplifting tracks is MLK
Song, a tribute to Staples' close
friend Martin Luther King.
(Warner) Billy Pinnell
SIA This Is Acting
How do you handle rejection?
Well, if you’re Sia, you gather
up all your unwanted tracks and
put them on one wonderful pop
album. This Is Acting features
songs Sia wrote with other artists
who then didn’t want to release
them. For example, Rihanna
rejected Cheap Thrills and Bird Set
Free, and Beyoncé didn’t want
Footprints. And you can’t help
but wonder how Alive and Bird
Set Free would have sounded on
Adele’s 25. An album of rejects?
Doesn’t sound overly appealing.
But Sia shows that these songs
are more super than superfluous.
“I’m playing on my own,” she
sings, defiantly. “I survived.”
(Inertia) Jeff Jenkins
Us The Band
But Where Do They Go?
That wonderful echoey scream
during garage-groove, a la Ty
Segall or Thee Oh Sees, always
puts a discerning ear at peace.
This two-piece from Sydney seem
to feel exactly the same firing
insolent vocals towards their mics
while fingers bleed and knees get
torn out of bagged-out jeans. It's a
FIDLAR attitude combined with an
almost Stooges feeling of danger,
delivering an accurate death-blow
to the hipster f*cks ruining our
ephemeral joy. Not since The
Bronx’s debut has there been as
much honest sweat coming off a
needle, or indeed laser.
Do it, do it twice.
(Rice Is Nice) Chris Murray
Wild Nothing
Life Of Pause
Wild Nothing is the dream
pop project of US singer and
songwriter Jack Tatum, and Life Of
Pause is his third full-length album,
an intentional journey into more
soul-influenced territory. A talented
multi-instrumentalist, Wild Nothing
infuses all his songs with rich
arrangements. You can hear the
careful layering and the considered
restraint throughout the record,
with moments of quiet reflection
alongside more energised jams
guided by propulsive bass lines,
searing guitars and soaring synths.
(CapturedTracks/Remote Control)
SimonWinkler
Wet Don't You
There's a strength and a
vulnerability to the music of
Wet. The Brooklyn trio gently
but confidently navigate the
sounds and structures of ethereal
electronic pop and atmospheric
R&B, and have been widely
identified as one of the more
intriguing acts to emerge from the
scene in recent times. Don't You
is the hypnotic debut album, and
delivers on the promise made by
their earlier single and EP releases.
Serene and unsettling, the eleven
songs float emotively on a cloud
of hip hop beats, sparse synth
melodies and orchestral textures.
Fragile tales of heartbreak, longing,
and love.
(Columbia/Sony)
SimonWinkler
Michael Waugh
What We Might Be
There's no mystery as to why
ARIA Award winning musician/
songwriter/producer Shane
Nicholson wanted to work
with Michael Waugh: both are
sensitive, insightful songwriters
and storytellers, and together
they've created this outstanding
debut release. Waugh's songs
are about real people and his
experiences growing up in East
Gippsland in Victoria. Heyfield
Girl is a dedication to his mum.
My Dad's Shoes , Dairy Farmer's
Son, Brother and Maffra Under
10s speak for themselves. Paul is
a tragic tale of bullying, and This
Time Will Pass is a love song to
his son. Michael just performed at
Tamworth last month.
(MGM) Billy Pinnell
STREAMYOUR FAVOURITE ALBUMS AT JBHI-FI NOW... NOW!
ÜFÜS Bloom
elcome to summer. Or any season, really.
ÜFÜS are back, and they’re better than ever.
tlas , the group’s debut album, was released back
2K13, and gave us Sundream , Take Me and
onight – all perfect dance hits to get you up and
oving, independent of each other yet inherently
emanating the same fun-loving factor. Three years
later and the boys are back with Bloom. Starting out as a true homage to
the band’s past, Bloom blossoms into what could potentially be a new
sound for the group. Like An Animal delivers us straight into the roots of
the Sydney trio, and if you’re not bopping by You Were Right we mustn’t
be listening to the same tracks. Do I need to mention it won an ARIA for
Best Dance Release? With Bloom, RÜFÜS demonstrate their intrinsic
ability to produce music that is solely theirs, with no other bands quite
managing that mix of Peking Duk and Flight Facilities in the same way.
Closing out the 11-track album with Innerbloom, the Aussie boys will send
you on your way knowing that, whether you’re ready to jump into the fog
or simply mosey on by, RÜFÜS are by your side.
(Sony) Alesha Kolbe
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14 FEBRUARY 2016
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