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VAMPIRE WEEKEND
AIRBOURNE
ETRAN FINATAWA
XL/Remote Control
Roadrunner/Warner
Riverboat Records/Fuse
Ah, the third record. You’ve dropped your successful debut out of the blue; yeah, so what? Plenty have done it before you. The “difficult” follow-up is a slog that leaves many bloodied and dying along the road. But if it’s a hit too, then you’ve got a clean slate with the third album. You’ve proved yourself, you’ve defied the critics, and you’ve granted yourself the licence to do something really impressive. And that, dear reader, is exactly what Vampire Weekend have done. They burst out of the blocks in 2008 with their self-titled debut, and backed it up in 2010 with Contra, proving that the four-piece’s blend of minimalist, intelligent pop was a hit. So with the world as their canvas, the band looked no farther than their own home town for inspiration for their third.
Maligned as they are by many Aussies, doubters should witness Airbourne in full flight at a European festival. This is where the hard-drinking and even harder-rocking Warrnambool crew really resonate. If more cynics did so – or failing that, just caught them in a club – they’d likely be something greater than a cult act in their own country.
There’s something in the texture of the guitar, the desert twang, the repetitive riffs and sparse percussion that connotes not only a sense of wide open space but also struggle. It’s music that first came to consciousness in the west via Mali’s Touareg renegades Tinariwen, whose electric guitars unleashed the toil and frustration of the disaffected in Sub-Saharan Africa. With a continuing tenuous political situation, where in the north rebels have imposed Sharia law, the very act of making music in Mali these days is fraught with danger. Few places are as qualified to sing the blues as those in this region. Over the border in Niger, Etran Finatawa brings together the Touareg and Wodaabe tribes. Traditionally they’ve been at odds with each other, however, within this band over the course of four albums they’ve fused traditions and created incredible music.
Modern Vampires Of The City
Black Dog Barking
The Sahara Sessions
A city with as much history and diversity as New York City has inspired artists for centuries, and Modern Vampires Of The City, from its haunting cover image to Step – the down-tempo standout that could perfectly accompany a lonely stroll through the crowded Chelsea street – is a moving tribute album to the city. It’s surprising to note that the record was, for the most part, created and recorded in Los Angeles, because even though there’s a summery vibe over much over the record, a dark lining covers the tracks. Minor chords, vocal transmutations (see the “baby, baby, baby right on time” refrain on lead single Diane Young), and the hauntingly beautiful Hannah Hunt all contribute to a refreshingly mature step for Vampire Weekend. While not a party album like previous releases, Modern Vampires… is, without doubt, Vampire Weekend’s most accomplished record yet.
Although studio albums are merely an entrée for explosive performances, their third LP is again a onedimensional but heavy-duty batch of songs that still translate because they bristle with sheer exuberance. Mutt Lange controversially offset AC/DC’s raucous blues/ boogie with liberal doses of spick and span on Highway To Hell. Producer Brian Howes’ track record (Nickelback, Hinder, Puddle of Mudd) isn’t overly encouraging either. Barnstorming sonic gut-punch of an opener, Ready To Rock, bearing only a vague resemblance to their debut EP’s title track, shows Howes also affording Airbourne a marginally more polished sound. Woman Like That and Live It Up scream US rock radio, but this doesn’t neuter them. You can easily envision tireless frontman Joel O’Keeffe head-banging and side-changing during No One Fits Me (Better Than You) and the highenergy title track’s AC/DC-isms, sweat pouring off his perennially shirtless, slender frame. Their previous album was bogged down by a lack of variety towards its conclusion, hence this leaner 35-minute attack. Their earnestness, cheesy lyrics (“A mouthful of garter/ Is just the starter”) and yes, derivativeness, ensure Airbourne remain an easy target. They’ve released better records too, but Black Dog Barking is a boisterous aural assault that should justifiably have tears of joy welling up in the eyes of many a rock tragic.
You can hear the Touareg sounds here, the links to Tinariwen, both in vocal phrasing and of course those incredible guitar riffs that sound like nothing else in the world. It’s so distinctive that just by hearing the guitar, acoustic in this case, you can pinpoint its origin. The percussion too is traditional: the calabash – which is a drum floating in water – and the tende. It’s blues music all right, but blues with a groove. For The Sahara Sessions they set up in the desert, built a tent, imported Colin Bass from the UK to produce and invited their friends around. Traditions mix with improvisations and spur of the moment opportunities. There’s the captivating polyphonic chorus of the Wodaabe, kids drop by, there’s lots of handclaps and a real jamming atmosphere. The music is of course amazing, affirming, spiritual and beautiful – music with both a soul and a social consciousness.
Dylan Stewart
Brendan Crabb
Bob Baker Fish
YOU AM I
Hourly, Daily (reissue) Sony “[They] utterly overreach, but get away with it, and make something of true greatness. Hourly, Daily might not be the concept album some want to make of it, but it is certainly of a time and place.” Ross Clelland
YOU AM I
Sound As Ever (reissue) Sony “Brilliant in parts, but in places hardly seeming like the same band from one song to the next.” Ross Clelland
YOU AM I
Hi Fi Way (reissue) Sony “Hi Fi Way wasn’t just about the singles; the other album tracks are among the most loved of the You Am I canon.” Ross Clelland
For more reviews go to themusic.com.au/reviews • 27