STACK #137 Mar 2016

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Big Daddy Wilson Time

The Cat Empire Rising With The Sun The Cat Empire cover all creatures great and small on their new album, with song titles including Wolves , Bulls and Eagle . Six studio albums in, they’re still one of our most interesting bands, swinging from the reggae-tinged Bulls to the Coldplay-like closing cut, Creature . The record has a distinct live vibe and, for the most part, Rising With The Sun is a crowd-pleaser; but it’s also darker than you think, with deceptive diversity and depth. “Maybe one day we’ll all stand still,” Felix Riebl ponders at the start of the record. But right now, The Cat Empire remain vibrant and unpredictable. (Two Shoes Records) Jeff Jenkins

Inspired by the country blues, folk, soul and gospel music he heard growing up in North Carolina, acoustic guitarist/ singer Big Daddy Wilson (Wilson Blount) channels the spirits of Rev. Gary Davis, Bukka White, and Sleepy John Estes throughout this outstanding album. Blessed with a warm, soulful voice, Wilson's heartfelt stories about his family, his car, of discovering the beauty of New Zealand and the blues of Mississippi John Hurt are enhanced by outstanding musicians including guitarist Eric Bibb. Based on this album, he'll be a must-see when he tours in March and April. (ABC Music) Billy Pinnell

Underworld Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future The drums are splashy and stadium-sized. The banjo is, er, unexpected. Cue monster mothership arriving from Planet Groove. Open blast doors and enter Karl Hyde, rapping his random staccato declamations as if through a bullhorn: Life, golden, open, stumble, catch, yeah, grace, well, yeah…

and we're off. Especially after six years holding their breath, I Exhale is a fanfare befitting one of the truly heroic names in British electro. There's little concession to how that genre might have evolved since Born Slippy nailed the post-rave zeitgeist of the mid '90s, though no party is likely to falter as the pulse quickens in If Rah , and polyrhythms blossom around the muted 4/4 slap of Low Burn with its gently ecstatic entreaties to "be bold, be beautiful, free, totally, unlimited." Yeah baby. The energy ebbs to an atmospheric pace between the gentle South American thrum of Santiago Cuatro and the pitch-shifted hum and tinkle of Motorhome before a big shiny finale in Nylon Strung that might have sounded quite at home on an old Ultravox LP. The thrill is in the sheer momentum of a beast still beholden to dance but Barbara Barbara , the magic is in the detail. (Caroline) Michael Dwyer

MUSIC

Baauer Aa Remember the Harlem Shake craze way back when? Can you tell me whose song it was? If you said Baauer (which of course you did), you’d be right. He’s been kind of under the radar since then, but now he’s back with Aa . With the hit track Day Ones emitting a very Dizzee Rascal-y vibe, and title tune Aa pulling through with his trademark deep bounce, fans of the good ol’ Shake won’t be disappointed, while those new to Harry Bauer Rodrigues will find an appeal in the sullen, pensive doof of his beats. (Inertia) Alesha Kolbe

The Murlocs Young Blindness Besides King Gizzard, one can always rely on The Murlocs to inspire genuine sunshine smiles on a doom cloud. Old-school R&B (when it meant something else, kids) meets a seductive ’60s love of psychedelica and late night shuffles into half-finished whiskey. A little Brian Jonestown nod lifts a hungover eyelid on the title track, complete with an urgent and hard- lived harp sound cementing rare authenticity far beyond their years. There’s much to love here but nothing greater than Adolescence , a creepy and infectious lament to imagery and desolation to conjure the greatest offerings from the likes of 16 Horsepower . Give these guys more airplay and kudos, you idiots in charge, c’mon! (Remote Control) Chris Murray

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down A Man Alive Still best known here for the theme to TV soapie Offspring , American art-rocker Thao Nguyen is on her fourth album with her relentlessly off-kilter indie combo Get Down Stay Down. It's not the one to make the Channel Ten crossover complete, her tonal and rhythmic eccentricities ensuring an abrasive veneer to songs of decidedly uneasy listening. She revels in cryptic lyrics, counter- grooves and textures that startle even as melodies beguile. Three or four chafe inside the first single Astonishing Man . Guitars scrape and nag at the edges of Nobody Dies . Even the mellow electric piano of Guts smells like the tuners have been drinking. One to unpack over a difficult Sudoku. (Domino) Michael Dwyer

Various Southern Family Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb is currently one of the producers of insurgent country music in Nashville. Producing artists like Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and Chris Stapelton, he’s the guy. His latest project is a concept album – yep, what I said. On Southern Family , Cobb invited some good friends whose common thread is growing up in the South. Isbell, Shooter Jennings, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton are some of those who share comforting, honest, personal stories of family and homelife in the southern states of America. These customised, feel-good tunes make this a fine downhome gathering. (Warner) Denise Hylands

MARCH 2016

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