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096 OCTOBER 2015
City and Colour
If I Should Go Before You
Labeled as a ‘folk’ artist, here
you’d be excused for thinking
Dallas Green (the man behind the
moniker) is a huge star from the
late ‘70s, delivering tales of loves
lost and unrequited, with a sound
that licks your ear. You can picture
him sitting on a stool singing the
title track: it’s late and the bar is
full of lost souls enveloped and
swaying within his spellbinding
truths. You cry, you understand,
you lament – and then you buy
his CD on the way out, as it’s now
the soundtrack to the rest of your
misery and hope. Yes, it’s that
good.
(Dine Alone Records) Chris Murray
Iron Maiden
The Book Of Souls
A new Iron Maiden album is
always an event. Whether you’re
an old head banger like myself
or new to the fold, Maiden is
arguably the quintessential heavy
metal experience. The same can
be said of The Book Of Souls – a
massive two-disc affair. Maiden
leave no stone unturned here,
further exploring the progressive
sounds of the last decade as well
as the more traditional up-tempo
numbers they are known for.
Those expecting a return to the
eighties may be disappointed; Iron
Maiden however, has been there,
done it all, and in their twilight
years are still creating music that
remains challenging and engaging.
(Parlophone) Simon Lukic
Slayer
Repentless
Repentless comes with an
insurmountable amount of
baggage. It’s the first Slayer album
minus the late Jeff Hanneman
and it features the return of
drummer Paul Bostaph, after
Dave Lombardo's incongruous
departure. The question is, does
Repentless deliver? Well, it’s
easily Slayer’s strongest album
in a long while and possibly the
band's best since 1994’s Divine
Intervention (not a difficult
achievement, considering how
weak their last four albums have
been). It’s not all good – a number
of songs should have remained
in the rehearsal room – but for
what it’s worth, Repentless is a
solid effort from a band who have
experienced better days.
(Nuclear Blast/Caroline)
Simon Lukic
The Arcs Yours, Dreamily
‘Side project’ of The Black Keys'
Dan Auerbach, this is a most
up-beat, almost poppy affair. Not
a bad thing if you’ve the chops
to mix that up with carnival-after-
closing melodies and soulful
flashes of vocal flair (Put a Flower
in Your Pocket). It’s nigh on
disturbing how this guy (and of
course a team of talented musos)
can effortlessly conjure such
immersive and comfy tunes you
feel at home with immediately.
Akin to Dr. John’s amazing 2012
album Locked Down, The Arcs
offer intricacy and exotic depth
to this menagerie of many ideas.
You’ll be rewarded.
(Nonesuch/Warner) Chris Murray
Rob Hirst and Sean
Sennett
Crashing The Same Car Twice
Rob Hirst is not waiting around
for a Midnight Oil reunion. Hirst
makes music. It’s what he does.
Here he joins forces with Brisbane
journo and muso Sean Sennett
to deliver a cracking garage rock
record. Opening salvo, When
Darkness Comes , sets the scene:
it’s a 1.51-minute slap to the face.
The record has echoes of the Oils
and snatches of The Saints, while
Radio Birdman’s Deniz Tek pops
up on Call To Arms. It’s classic
Oz rock: big guitars, but plenty
of melodic hooks, showcasing
Hirst’s underrated vocals. Who
would have thought a couple of
old blokes would have so much
youthful exuberance?
(Sony) Jeff Jenkins
Dan Lethbridge
Inner Western
The title of Dan Lethbridge’s third
album says a lot. These are not
songs for the latte-sipping inner-
eastern elites; these are sturdy
songs, robust and true, gritty and
real. Produced by the ever-reliable
Shane O’Mara, highlights include I
Want You With Me, with its Byrds-
like chiming guitars, and Love Is
The Only Thing Left , in which the
singer confides: “All of the hearts
I’ve held in my grasp, but I only
break them.” Dan Lethbridge
is 2015’s best songwriter that
you’ve never heard of. Indeed, in
the opening track he confesses:
“It feels like nobody is listening.”
It’s time he got the audience he
deserves.
(Vitamin) Jeff Jenkins
STREAMYOUR FAVOURITE ALBUMS AT JBHI-FI NOW... NOW!
obert Forster Songs To Play
ongs To Play is a mundane title but a magical
lbum. I mean, how could you not love an album
hat includes a song called I Love Myself And I
lways Have? Of course, one of Robert Forster’s
10 Rules of Rock and Roll' states that the second-
ast song on every album is the weakest. But I
ove Myself – complete with country coda – is a
standout. “I hold myself in high regard,” Forster declares, “and loving
yourself shouldn’t be so hard.” This is a record rich in irony. The opening
cut, rock anthem Learn To Burn, is a song about impatience. Forster
claims he’s waiting for no man, except maybe Dylan – though he has
made his fans wait seven years for this solo album. Another one of his
rock rules is that “great bands don’t have members making solo albums.”
Fair point, though sadly the Go-Betweens’ career was curtailed by the
premature passing of Grant McLennan. You can hear how they have
influenced contemporary acts like Oh Mercy, Dick Diver and The Ocean
Party, but Songs To Play shows that Robert Forster remains the master.
(EMI) Jeff Jenkins