STACK #142 Aug 2016

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Gang Of Youths Let Me Be Clear EP

Hellions Opera Oblivia

Gang of Youths’ songs are almost perverted in how effectively they manipulate and Let Me Be Clear is no exception, showing an impressive mastery in their ability to swing sombre intimacy into rapturous Big Moments. David Le’aupepe’s hyperliterate lyricism still marks him as the smartest guy in any room as he drags heartache/break out with gravelly, thesaurian splendour, but Joji Malani’s scribbly guitar lines and Dom Borzestowski’s versatile, fluid drumming steal the spotlight. What does a record of cut-offs like this say about Gang of Youths? That their capacity to write grandiose rock nonpareil extends beyond the 10 cuts on The Positions . That’s no surprise for the faithful, but it’s nice to hear the extras all the same. (Sony) Jake Cleland

While their debut Die Young announced a new force in the Australian hardcore scene and follow up Indian Summer cemented their place in it, Opera Oblivia is Sydney five-piece Hellions’ most defining record to date. The scope of the band's ambition can only be measured next to their equally enormous talent. The first single off this record is the rousing, riff-heavy sing-along Quality Of Life . The album sways from empowering resolve to dejected cynicism – Thresher and He Without Sin i) Halation are perfect examples of the latter. The band have been on a journey of self discovery and realisation, and the resulting 10 tracks are a celebration of life: its highs, its lows and its brutal breakdowns. (UNFD)Tim Lambert

Bernard Fanning Civil Dusk His solo debut, Tea & Sympathy , was a classic. His second album, Departures , was a disappointment. Civil Dusk finds Bernard Fanning back in top form. Opening cut, Emerald Flame , has all the warmth that was largely lacking in Departures . It’s extraordinarily beautiful; one of the most exquisite album-openers you’ll ever hear. “Who could face

this ruthless beauty?” Fanning asks. “You have shattered my defences.” Fortunately, the rest of the record matches its magic. This is an album about choices and consequences, filled with songs about love’s tenuous grip, where “God is making music, the Devil is making wine” and the singer is hoping that “only the good love survives.” Yep, no middle-aged contentment here; Fanning’s heart remains restless. He’s trying to unravel “all the knots and tangled ways,” wondering what it means to be a man. “What a man wants,” he concludes, “is seldom what he needs.” More than two decades after Powderfinger’s first release, Fanning’s voice remains an instrument of beauty, capable of conveying words that hit you right in the heart, “a bleak and brutal sadness nobody could contrive.” Place Civil Dusk alongside classics by Jackson Browne and Cat Stevens. It’s one of the year’s best. (Dew Process/Universal) Jeff Jenkins

MUSIC

Human Nature Gimme Some Lovin': Jukebox Vol II You’ve got to hand it to Human Nature – how many boy bands continue making music, scandal- free and with original line-up intact? Two decades after their debut single, Human Nature have still got it goin’ on. Sure, they don’t take many chances as they continue to mine the pop hits of the ’50s and ’60s, but it’s a crowd- pleasing formula, with covers of You Send Me , Be My Baby , Shout and (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher hitting the mark. And the one original song, the soulful Forgive Me Now , shows that AndrewTierney has lost none of his songwriting smarts. (Sony) Jeff Jenkins

Alex Lloyd Acoustica

Leah Flanagan Saudades Leah Flanagan's second album, a suite of songs that explore bittersweet emotions universally experienced in relationships, gently announces the arrival of a major singer-songwriter. 'Saudades', an untranslatable Portuguese word suggesting sad and happy feelings and borrowed from a song written by Tin Pan Orange singer Emily Lubitz, is the perfect title for this album recorded live in the studio with a bunch of intuitive musicians who contribute something different to each song. The sensual Chills with its irresistible riff, a voice and electric guitar duet on Two Worlds , the ominous, bluesy feel of Damage . An outstanding release. (Remedy) Billy Pinnell

Neil Young & Promise Of The Real Earth Recorded with his current backing band that includes Willie Nelson's sons Lukas and Mica, Earth (13 tracks over two CDs, Young's first non-archival live album since 2000) is a set of songs from across his career about food awareness that features overdubbed sounds of animals, birds and insects. Songs you're likely to recognise ( After The Goldrush and Human Highway ) sit comfortably with Vampire Blues from 1974's On The Beach and selections from more recent albums including 2015's The Monsanto Years . There's something admirable about Young's commitment to environmental issues, a common theme of his releases this decade. (Warner) Billy Pinnell

It’s beautiful, but do we really need another cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah ? That’s the only misfire on Alex Lloyd’s new album, which heralds the return of Liberation’s acoustic series. Lloyd is a quality songwriter and his tracks shine in this stripped- back format. Opening with an intricate but intimate version of Amazing , he has reinvented his hits with clever arrangements – check out the Beatlesque strings in Coming Home . With titles such as Amazing , Never Meant To Fail , Green and Beautiful , this is essentially an acoustic Best Of. Of Lloyd’s six albums, only 2008’s Good In The Face Of A Stranger goes unrepresented. (Liberation) Jeff Jenkins

AUGUST 2016

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