album reviews
★★★½
TIRED PONY The Ghost Of The Mountain Universal With members including Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), Richard Colburn (Belle & Sebastian) and Peter Buck (REM), Tired Pony could collapse into a terrible mess of conflicting egos. But The Ghost Of The Mountain manages to highlight the respective talents of its members, while becoming something in its own right. Light, sincere and reflective, The Ghost Of The Mountain is a great example of a supergroup creating something new and worthwhile. Pete Laurie
★★★½
★★★½
★★½
BELLE & SEBASTIAN
CROCODILES
A$AP FERG
Shock
A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds/Sony
Rough Trade
The gentle rock‘n’roll of Crimes Of Passion makes an unashamed nod to The Jesus & Mary Chain’s Psychocandy – the main difference being a little less fuzz and a little more warmth.
The Third Eye Centre The Third Eye Centre, a collection of rarities, collectibles and nonLP tunes (Belle & Sebastian’s second such release), covers their work over the last ten years and deftly demonstrates why they are so highly lauded. There are a number of remixes included, the most notable being the Avalanches’ tribal transformation of I’m A Cuckoo. With such perfect indie pop offerings as Heaven In The Afternoon, The Third Eye Centre is a definite must have.
Crimes Of Passion
The camaraderie of light and dark that exist throughout the album are a refreshing and more palatable departure from the more noise-laden albums past, though there’s just enough fuzz to remind us of the band’s earlier catalogue, with an additional softness that makes it far easier to digest. Justine Keating
Dominique Wall
Trap Lord
Ferg, often described as the only member of the A$AP clique besides Rocky with star potential, is tough to pin down. He’ll drop a Bone Thugsn-Harmony tribute the next track after a Bone Thugs-nHarmony cameo. He’ll disclose his ambition to “be as known as Jesus” in interviews. He’ll send out a sing-song guest spot: Kissin’ Pink. He’s becoming known as someone who brings excitement. Sadly, Trap Lord is not that artist’s album; this is not the fun Ferg promised. It’s a debut, sure, but for now his apparent destiny seems a little way off. James d’Apice
★★★½
★★★½
★★★
BLESSTHEFALL DEVILDRIVER Hollow Bodies
Winter Kills
DON WALKER
Fearless/Shock
Roadrunner/Warner
MGM
On their fourth album, posthardcore outfit Blessthefall combine fatalistic riffs within in an organised display of mayhem, combining sickly sweet melodic phrases with downright aggressive passages that by any logical means should not work. After years of terrorising stages across the globe, Hollow Bodies is the band’s most cohesive work to date. The band’s adaptability in combining metalcore and pop sentimentality is perfectly demonstrated in the single, You Wear A Crown But You’re No King, and the album’s title track, yet it’s the grittier songs where Blessthefall sound more comfortable – and they do that honourably.
Meat and potatoes remain popular because they mostly hit the spot. Groove-oriented metal cohorts DevilDriver must recognise this because they haven’t altered the recipe too radically after six records. Everconsistent, the Americans’ attack bristles with potency; fusion of Pantera-esque stomp, melo-death trimmings, monstrous circle-pit fodder (Gutted) and memorable hooks (Winter Kills) ensuring they could teach the Germans a few lessons regarding efficiency. Covering indie/electro mob AWOLNATION’s Sail deviates from their norm, but proves to be a misfire. Few curveballs, but another mosh-friendly beast.
He is among the best – the most Australian – of songwriters. And that might be part of the problem on parts.
James Dawson
Brendan Crabb
Hully Gully
He has the turn of phrase, the so drily laconic voice. The stories, like the drive out of the ‘Cross in Young Girls, or the wait as the tide ebbs On The Beach, are heat-hazed atmospheric things, but elsewhere it seems he feels the need to play up that nasal twang to almost parody. Maybe accept the lift but perhaps pretend to doze when some of the yarns seem a bit arch. Ross Clelland
★★★½
ELLIOTT WHEELER
The Long Time MGM Elliott Wheeler has emerged with a suitably cinematic, orchestrated and dark solo debut six years in the making. Wheeler’s gentle falsetto vocals decorate a handful of tracks, accompanying the slick electronic production on Crystal Love, reminiscent of Antony & The Johnsons, while a collection of charming guest female vocalists grace the remaining tracks. The Long Time is a rounded and complete effort compiled from the flowing and orchestral influence of Wheeler’s experience shaping film scores, but with the added pull of modernity, electronica and beats. Lorin Reid THE MUSIC • 21ST AUGUST 2013 • 43