STACK February 2017 Issue 148

78 / 95

King Gizzard And The
Lizard Wizard
Flying Microtonal Banana
Few bands approach music quite
as much like a job as King Gizzard,
and their bosses – the increasingly
demanding audiences – expect
results. That might be why King
Gizzard’s latest experiments have
felt less ambitious than the leaps
between earlier records. The
genesis of Flying Microtonal Banana
was curiosity over what they could
do with microtonal instruments,
which is as good a reason to put
out a record as any, but however
much the band changes its tuning,
their songwriting approach is
fundamentally the same. Still,
better bands have had worse runs
and if King Gizzard can maintain
that consistency throughout the
other four albums they’re putting
out this year, those bosses will be
plenty happy.
(Remote Control) Jake Cleland
Kasey Chambers Dragonfly
Dragonfly is the 11th studio album from Australian
country sweetheart Kasey Chambers; she's
loved for her heartfelt country interpretations, her
open and honest songs, and her one and only
unique voice. Lead single and first song written
for the album Ain’t Your Little Girl is an explosive,
emotionally-charged performance which sets the
pace for this double-disc serving. Recorded in two separate sessions,
the first (the Sing Sing sessions) enlisted Paul Kelly as producer, whose
leadership Chambers says was "a dream come true”. The second (the
Foggy Mountain sessions) was with brother and longtime producer Nash,
during which she's joined by her trusty and talented touring band. As
you expect from Chambers, she’ll take you on a rollercoaster journey
of emotions: heartache and happiness, frustration and hope, and a
good dose of humour. She shares more of herself than ever before in
this collection of personal stories, all enhanced by some good friends
including Kelly, Harry Hookey, Foy Vance, Keith Urban, Vika and Linda Bull
and Grizzlee Train. Having recently undergone vocal surgery, Chambers
is sounding better than ever, with an incredible sense of strength and
purpose. She definitely ain’t no little girl. (Warner) Denise Hylands
Foxygen Hang
Foxygen have always been expert
fans, longing to have been born
decades earlier for the British
Invasion. As it is, these two
Californian boys are leading a
kind of British Resuscitation.
Hang takes the pomp and strut
of Berlin Bowie, the glam-gloom
of Lou Reed, Sgt. Pepper’s
marching drums, and the operatic
grandeur of The Who as a
mandate for stardom, and the
resulting Frankenstein’s monster
is naturally easy on the ears. It’s
not like they’re coy about it, either.
Tracks like Avalon, with its blatant
Waterloo-via-Born To Run homage,
reveal Foxygen as true-blue
pop obsessives. The traditional
argument is that self-expression
is virtuous and formalism should
be rejected, but Hang proves
how good you can sound if you
embrace the past.
(Inertia) Jake Cleland
Busby Marou
Postcards From The Shell
House
There is nothing edgy about Busby
Marou. “Forget about the crowd,”
Tom Busby sings, “just let them
pass us by.” These are campfire
songs, with the Rockhampton
duo’s breezy pop floating by, like
a leaf on an early autumn day.
Postcards FromThe Shell House
– named after an old building on
Great Keppel Island – features
songs about friendship, lucky
charms and drinking. They also sing
about dying towns in Living In A
Town and Aboriginal rights in Paint
This Land, but the sound never
veers from amiable acoustic pop.
Charmingly understated, file next
to Andy Grammer and Jason Mraz.
(Warner) Jeff Jenkins
14 FEBRUARY 2017
visit MUSIC REVIEWS
Various
12 Inch Dance: Australian
'80s Pop
The 12-inch single was an integral
part of the ’80s scene; “Wait till
you hear the 12-inch mix,” Molly
would often say on Countdown.
This diverse three-CD compilation
gathers 37 mixes from the big ’80s
stars, such as Models, Pseudo
Echo, Kids In The Kitchen, Real
Life and Icehouse, as well as
highlighting forgotten acts like
Beargarden, Schnell Fenster, Jump
Incorporated and No Justice, and
showcasing The Venetians’ lost
classic So Much For Love . Some
mixes are tedious, but many are
thrilling – just check out Do-Ré-Mi’s
Idiot Grin and Stephen Cummings’
Gymnasium, two tracks throbbing
with ideas.
(Festival/Rhino/Warner)
Jeff Jenkins
Thundamentals
Everyone We Know
Blue Mountains hip hop squad
Thundamentals have lifted the bar
on their fourth record Everyone
We Know. Poncho and Morgs’
production is the best it’s been; the
contagious xylophone popcorn beat
on Reebok Pumps, the brass solo
on Never Say Never, even the neck-
rolling beep tune in Milk & Honey
take the album into a zone Thundas
haven’t been before – something
rappers Tuka and Jeswon have taken
full advantage of. The MCs spit fire
on Ignorance Is Bliss, bouncing
off each other like kangaroos on a
trampoline as they delineate the
problems with straight, white, male
privilege. Closing celebratory slow-
builder 21 Grams (featuring Hilltop
Hoods) signals Thundamentals’ final
evolution: from peasants, to princes,
to Aussie hip hop kings.
(Universal)Tim Lambert
Sampha Process
On debut album Process, 28-year-
old Londoner Sampha lays bare
the anguish, loss and love that has
guided him down the arduous path
of life. The compelling Blood On Me
has the crooner desperately on the
run, anxiety lingering on his breath.
When the sombre, harrowing piano
takes the spotlight on (No One
Knows Me) Like The Piano, his
vocals are unassuming, delicate and
beautifully imperfect. The fragile
and alienated Plastic 100°C and
wistful Reverse Faults showcase
the underlying tension in Process,
much like in Solange’s A Seat At The
Table (on which Sampha produced
and sang). The minimal-electro plea
for forgiveness Timmy’s Prayer is
sorrowful, disturbingly romantic,
self-deprecating and nervous. This
Timmy’s prayer is that this album
never ends.
(Remote Control)Tim Lambert