The Grates / Teeth Lost, Hearts Won
[Dew Process: 2008]
After finding great success with their fun and feisty debut, Gravity Won’t Get You High, Brisbane’s favourite multi-coloured, handclapping kids The Grates are back with Teeth Lost, Hearts Won. It is the kind of delicious, energetic grunge-punk-power-pop genius we’ve come to expect from The Grates.
It kicks off with high-energy first single “Burn Bridges”, a multi-tempo punk singalong that is the perfect starter for the album – an album that is layered with raw emotion (“Milk Eyes”, “Storms and Fevers”), catchy pop tracks (“Carve Your Name”), indie rock (”Let it Die”), and darker more soulful rock n roll (“Not Today”).
The Grates’ hyper and adorable front lady Patience sounds as crazed as always, but there’s a great mix between both control and abandonment, and she’s never sounded better. In fact, John on guitar and Alana on drums sound like real rock n roll musicians now – not just some fun cats with a hobby – which is pretty much what the Grates started out as.
Teeth Lost, Hearts Won is definitely the next step for the Grates and their music, and we can happily report that it’s a step in the right direction.
"burn bridges"
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The Accidental / There Were Wolves
[Inertia: 2008]
‘The Accidental’ sounds like the name of an emo band – like The Used etc, so you can imagine my surprise when I pressed play to hear beautiful, soft, layered vocals and enigmatic folk sounds. The Accidental use sparse instrumentation – like the haunting low tones of a lone cello and tight minimalistic percussion in “Wolves” that slowly builds with subtly harmonising voices and dramatic a violin part. It’s just stunning.
The minimal arrangement progresses on with sweet, harmonic folk-pop akin to Scottish indie group the Reindeer Section with the beautifully simple, heartfelt piece “I Can Hear Your Voice”, and then to classic acoustic guitar folk songs in the same vein as a young Cat Stevens.
This is a dreamy, delicate record of music that is perfect to be alone with. If you get a chance please listen to it. You’ll be so glad you did.
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Tusk / Fleetwood Mac
[Reprise: 1979]
So it’s the late seventies and you’re Fleetwood Mac, one of the biggest bands in the world - a genuine 70s “supergroup”. Sold out stadium shows, private jets, outlandish demands, non-stop in fighting and the drugs my god the drugs.
The beast that catapulted the group into this superstar stratosphere was their 1977 release Rumours, it sold zillions and produced many now familiar classics including Dreams, Go your own way and chains. (Quick side note: Put Rumours on when washing the dishes, it’ll blow your mind). So along with the hectic life of a 70s rock supergroup, the band had the added pressure of creating the dreaded follow up album.
What they produced was the epic 20 track double album Tusk.
Steering away from an attempt to replicate the mainstream and easily accessible ‘Californian Rock’ of Rumours, Tusk is a culmination of unusual and complex pop songs and mysterious ballads. Unlike Rumours, the pop tracks on this album are non-formulaic and were incredibly contemporary for the time, thanks to the always unique sounding rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, complemented with the increasingly experimental songwriting of Lindsey Buckingham. The mellow vocals of the underrated Christine Mcvie and the distinctive voice of the one and only Stevie Nicks stand out in a number of beautiful ballads and quirky love songs that meld flawlessly with the albums’ more offbeat tracks.
Tusk not only succeeds in meeting expectations in the aftermath of an album as massive as Rumours – it’s better.
"Tusk"
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Dr Dog / Fate
[Dew Process: 2008]
The cover art shows an illustration of a women disarming a man while holding a shotgun at his stomach. GREAT. Another record of depressing, bitter heartbreak shit.
What else can you expect from an album that is ominously titled “Fate” with a cover that looks like that?
While there is quite a lot of darker themes explored in this record, and certainly a number of tracks that allude to the disintegration of a relationship (“Hang On”, “From”, “The Ark”) Fate is anything but depressing.
Dr Dog have taken inspiration from the sounds and songwriting of some great musicians of the past – in particular 70s rock n roll and white soul – and remastered it into a great record.
Obvious comparisons can be made to Sgt Peppers-era Beatles, Joe Cocker, The Yardbirds, Elvis Costello and Billy Joel (Yep Billy Joel. Go on – you know you love him). There isn’t anything that’s new about the sound, but Dr Dog do it really well.
To be completely truthful, from time to time Fate borders on flat out imitation of those artists rather than a bit of reverential borrowing. And some of the lyrics are either really silly, written by a pothead or too existential for me to understand (“How did the fox get the raven to crow… Why, at the creek did the dog lose his bone”???), but this is very much a likeable album with some real charm and lovely moments throughout.
“Hang On”, for example, is a genuinely sweet and soulful rock n roll track with a smoky piano bar feel. “Army of Ancients” (the song with the aforementioned existential words) is a gospel fused piano ballad that you’ll be singing ‘oooohhh yeah’ along to like an awesomely haggard Joe Cocker.
Fans of good classic rock n roll will really enjoy what is a solid and likeable album from a band of talented musicians.
dr. dog myspace
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Viva Voce / Loves You
[Inertia: 2008]
Viva Voce is a husband-wife duo based in Portland, Oregon made up of Anita Robinson on guitars and Kevin Robinson on drums, with singing duty shared between the two.
The combination of romantically involved couples and making music has had a very mixed history with varying results. Sometimes it works (every member of Fleetwood Mac, Kori and Jason from Mates of State); sometimes it doesn’t work (Kate Moss and Pete Doherty – “Fuck Forver” anyone?); and sometimes it’s a flat out disaster (what was Andrew Lloyd Weber THINKING letting Sarah Brightman loose on his many wondrous works??)
Viva Voce fits into the first category, because Loves You is a really good little album. And I mean little – It clocks in at just under 30 minutes.
The record kicks off with “Wrecking Ball”, a nice 90s sounding alt-pop jam, complete with repetitive guitar chords and hand claps. This is followed by a slow and sexy atmospheric groove track (“Alive with Pleasure”) featuring Mrs Robinson on a great fuzzed out guitar solo. The perfect accompaniment to gettin it on.
Loves You has moments of simple, stripped back stoner pop (“Lesson Number 1” – reminiscent of the post-grunge era Sub Pop recordings), excellent psychedelic guitar jams (“From the Devil Himself”) and mellow R&B/groove vibes. Kind of like a DIY version of the Dandy Warhols and Morcheeba mixed together.
This is a very cool, understated little record that is highly recommended.
viva voce myspace
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Black Keys / Attack & Release
[Nonesuch Records: 2008]
Ohio’s favourite children of garage-blues-rock are back again, and this time they’ve joined forces with auteur producer and man with the Midas touch, Danger Mouse. The result is a soulful and murky sonic experience that adds a new dimension to the duo’s tried and tested guitar-drums combo, but loses none
of the grit and snarl that has endeared the Black Keys to the committed fans of their authentic lo-fi sound.
The album sweeps across the broad spectrum of the blues-rock palette - from the murky psychedelic swamp blues of “Psychotic Girl” to the Zeppelin-esque, riff-heavy “I Got Mine” to gorgeous 1970s soul in “Lies”. At the heart of it all is the unmistakable vocals of Dan Auerbach and his guitar playing that is
sometimes crunching, sometimes moodily atmospheric, and the always brilliant drumming of Patrick Carney, that is stripped back in parts and thunderous in others.
This album is a real grower and you’ll reap the rewards after giving it a few listens.
the black keys
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