STACK Jul #129

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106 JULY 2015 JB Hi-Fi
Day Ravies
Liminal Zones
Tussle was the vibrant debut
album from Sydney’s Day
Ravies. It was also a confident
announcement from a new band
with a new take on pop music,
effortlessly combining the best of
shoegaze, garage, and psychedelic
melodies into fresh song forms.
Liminal Zones is their second
album, and a window into the next
phase of their music-making. It’s
both an expansion and refinement
of their craft, weaving together
ethereal pop, dream punk and
surf-rock sounds. It’s a compelling
collection, filled with echoes of the
'80s, shades of the '90s, and an
exciting vision of the future.
(MGM) SimonWinkler
Dawes
All Your Favourite Bands
You know the person Taylor Goldmsith is singing to in Things Happen. She's the
kind that goes through life aggrieved by every little thing, cutting off friends like a
selfish driver, permanently outraged at ordinary turns of fortune like she's somehow
entitled to a standing exemption from randomness. That might be her again, or
someone quite like her, in Somewhere Along the Way: the delusional narcissist
coming unstuck while clutching a contact book full of therapists and promoters.
"Her only plan in life was getting lost … she took me to the edge and made me
watch." So unfolds the fourth album by California's coolest Laurel Canyon
throwbacks: vivid portraits of weirdly familiar acquaintances sketched in hard,
poetic truths. The gallery culminates in the ten-minute kiss-off of Now That It’s Too
Late, Maria, a closing time relationship debrief with a candle "flickering like a one-way
conversation." Goldsmith's philosophical streak extends an olive branch in the title
track, an homage in tone and metre to Dylan's well-wishing farewell Forever Young.
It's a sincere song that wills old wounds to heal despite a backstory that remains
ingeniously implied rather than spoken. That's craft, that is. The other aspect that
makes Dawes so compelling is the warm, woody folk-rock feel that's remained
consistent since North Hills , their analogue tape debut of '09. This time it's David
Rawlings on microphone placement and occasional guitar detail – assets that speak
for themselves for anyone aware of his work as Gillian Welch's other half. She crops
up too, with all due subtlety, as does veteran pedal steel ace Paul Franklin. The overall
vibe remains more west coast than Nashville, but if all your favourite bands include
the Eagles, Wilco and Kings of Leon, All Your Favourite Bands might add another one
to the list. (Warner) Michael Dwyer
The Deslondes
The Deslondes
The Deslondes are a five-piece
collective based in New Orleans.
All members contribute to
songwriting, arrangements
and vocal duties, inspired by
their heroes Woody Guthrie,
Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt,
Blaze Foley and John Prine.
They showcase their authentic
love of traditional sounds by
mixing their brand of country
music through decades of
influences, from swamp boogie,
Cajun, folk, soul and rock n roll.
Like a collision of Old Crow
Medicine Show’s old timey
enthusiasm and BR549’s
(remember them?) honky tonk
energy. This is real deal: good
time twangin’ fun. (Warner)
Denise Hylands
Jeff Beck
Live+
Jeff Beck, one of the most influential
and innovative guitarists in rock and
roll history, has released a new live
album culled from performances on
his 2014 US tour. Highlights include
covers of The Beatles' A Day in the
Life, The Mahavishnu Orchestra's
You Know You Know, the traditional
Danny Boy and a number of songs
featuring singer Jimmy Hall, including
Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna
Come, Stevie Wonder's Superstition,
Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing, and
Muddy Waters' Rollin' and Tumblin'.
Also included are two new studio
recordings featuring guest vocalists
Ruth Lorenzo and Veronica Bellino.
(Warner) Billy Pinnell
Helloween
Black and White
Thoughts of Germany’s heavy
metal scene inevitably invoke
Helloween’s name. After humble
beginnings in 1984, they helped
pioneer the power metal style,
placing them at the forefront of
the European scene. In 2015,
their 15th studio album My
God-Given Right finds them at
ease with their history and their
sound. Taking cues from the
many facets of their past, the
album covers a wide range of
styles, from hard rock to speed
metal, without losing it’s melodic
edge. With My God-Given
Right, Helloween prove they are
survivors and after 30 years can
still release a solid heavy metal
album. (Nuclear Blast/Caroline/
Universal) Simon Lukic
Refused Freedom
Full disclosure: this writer
was not excited when Refused
announced their return. One of
the most profoundly influential
punk bands of all time, Refused’s
legacy only looked to strengthen
with age, so it seems wasteful
to risk its destruction with a new
studio album – 17 years after their
demise. Refused will be unable to
escape inevitable comparisons to
their watershed release The Shape
of Punk to Come. Album opener
Elektra acknowledges this before
the entire affair throws itself into
a new set of influences, much of
which is fresh territory for the band
and none of which feels like it is
executed terribly well. Confusing,
like your parents remarrying after a
turbulent divorce. (Epitaph/Warner)
Emily Kelly
Batpiss
Biomass
Melbourne trio Batpiss
slow their intense, abrasive
rock down to a crawl – and
sometimes a hobble. Their
second LP has fewer dynamic
twists than 2013’s debut
Nuclear Winter, but it’s
considerably more punishing
in terms of sustained dirges.
While the seven-minute
Pulling Out prolongs its weighty
presence, though, Waking Up
at the Wheel is more upbeat
yet just as bruising. Loud
and abrasive even at their
most patient, Batpiss stake
out a gravelly common ground
between sludge, doom, post-
punk and grunge. Long may
they lurch. (Poison City)
DougWallen
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