STACK #159 Jan 2018

MUSIC REVIEWS

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NxWorries Yes Lawd! Remixes Yes Lawd! was last year's introduction to the superduo superpowers of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge. Acclaimed West Coast MC .Paak and uber-prolific Knxwledge are a match made in heaven, and their debut was an appropriately elevating experience. The gospel-, soul- and jazz-infused beats were especially strong; a masterclass in production from a dedicated student of the craft. Yes Lawd! Remixes then is something of a victory lap; lyrics from the original are blended with reworked instrumentals. Sometimes the changes are subtle, and elsewhere the remixes are profoundly altered, creating an entirely new mood and drawing new life from the songs. (StonesThrow/Inertia) SimonWinkler

björk utopia If 'utopia' is an ideal state of being, then perhaps we could say all of björk's albums exist there. Over her singular, celebrated career, björk has always pursued the highest levels of creative craft. Each album offers innovation, inspiration, and a glimpse of a parallel world of pure imagination. On this latest LP, field recordings, synths, harps, choral singing and numerous flutes fill the vivid soundscape. To listen is to be immersed; transported through strange and spacious arrangements, feeling disoriented and enlivened all at once. In interviews, björk suggests songs were written "almost like an optimist rebellion against the normal narrative melody." But if the sounds here are otherworldly, the lyrical lens is firmly focused back on Earth. With signature skill and poetry björk explores romance, politics, music, love and technology. (Pod/Inertia) SimonWinkler

The Bennies Natural Born Chillers From Melbourne to outer space, The Bennies are getting you outta this place. The year is 2018; The Bennies have put Ms. Frizzle into retirement and brought the Magic School Bus back into service for a 25-minute intergalactic ska party. The guys' third album Natural Born Chillers never takes itself too

seriously, and while the Melbourne quartet dip their feet into the varicoloured waters of reggae, ska, psychedelia and punk, the overall feeling of the album is nothing but good vibes – whether it’s lead single High Like An Angel ’s rousing chorus, the beating spine of Destination Unknown ’s drumline, the frenzy of Ocean or the satirical spoken word Trip Report . A standard day in the life of the band, I assume. The boys have captured the live energy that has seen them become a staple of the Australian music scene, and if you’re not sure exactly what that energy is yet, I suggest you buckle up, kids – because The Bennies are driving. (Pool House/Remote Control)Tim Lambert

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Tonight Alive Underworld

‘Cutie’, ‘Quantity’, ‘Kyoo-Tee-Why.’ I’m not a hundred percent sure how you say it, but that’s pretty much the only hurdle on the way to getting into this NYC duo’s effortlessly fluent, jovial garage rock. Singer Dan Lardner recalls the lazy sex of all the blank-faced, semi-smirky greats (Iggy Pop, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Lou Reed, and definitely The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas) while Alex Niemetz adds sweet harmonies and some straight-up melody matches. The electric guitars are no BS, the lyrics are observational and conversational, and the whole is a soundtrack for walking down the bodega and getting a few bottles to take back to the fire escape. A total pleasure. (Sony) Zoë Radas

On Underworld , Tonight Alive have made it out the other side, standing tall as the defiant ones – and it’s a good look on them. The band’s fourth studio album is the start of frontwoman Jenna McDougall’s journey of healing: recognising the mental demons and insecurities that have long haunted her and drawing her fists up at them, preparing for a fight. Musically, the punk quartet’s (following the departure of guitarist Whakaio Taahi) back-to- basics approach – returning to their roots of 2010’s self-funded EP All Shapes & Disguises – has paid off in spades; the band sounding tighter than they ever have before. (UNFD)Tim Lambert

Wilco A.M. and Being There (deluxe reissues) Before Wilco, there was Uncle Tupelo – a band influenced by punk rock as much as country – who were at the forefront of the so-called alt-country movement of the late '80s. In 1994 Jay Farrar left the band and formed Son Volt, leaving Jeff Tweedy with the remaining bandmembers to formWilco. (Guitarist John Stirratt and Tweedy remain the only original members to this day.) NowWarner are reissuing the beloved group's first two albums: A.M. (1995) and Being There (1996). As well as the remastered originals, A.M. features eight unreleased bonus tracks, including one from Uncle Tupelo and two fromTweedy’s supergroup Golden Smog. Being There (originally a 2CD release) features outtakes, alternates and demo tracks, a 20-song live concert recording from 1996 at The Troubadour in LA, and a radio performance at KCRW. After 20-plus years, it’s great to hear these albums polished (plus more). From A.M. to Being There , Wilco were just starting to develop the sound that is theirs today. As Stirratt says of the earlier release: “…We were barely a band at that point, just trying to make some noise.” Yeah, but it was good noise. Take a trip back with Wilco to their early days… it’s a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll. (Warner) Denise Hylands

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JANUARY 2018

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