★★★★ ½
album reviews
CLOUD NOTHINGS
THE ASTON SHUFFLE Photographs
Here And Nowhere Else
EMI
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Stop Start Ten seconds into Cloud Nothings’ third record and already there’s energy spewing forth like an erupting volcano. The Cleveland trio haven’t fucked around with Here And Nowhere Else, an album that’s far more of an attack on senses than memory. Eight shots of sonic fury drag you into a speeding vehicle, slap you around and take your money, before kicking you out on the roadside. By the end you’re left wonderfully dazed and disorientated. On first listens, two things are immediate: the pace of the record, and the improved quality of Dylan Baldi’s vocals. Drummer Jayson Gerycz doesn’t slow down for a second – he’s seriously going to kill himself playing these songs live – the only distinct change in his tempos coming from when he takes the beat off the snare and onto the floor tom. Baldi, meanwhile, has given
us cleaner verses to chew on, at least cleaner when compared to the band’s previous releases. It’s far from accessible, but his lyrics now sit comfortably in front of the distortion, giving tracks like Quieter Today and I’m Not Part Of Me personality and colour. Still, the most abrasive explosions remain the best, like the way Psychic Trauma flicks a switch and goes from meandering to manic, or when Giving Into Seeing practically crashes into a wall during its final moments. Here And Nowhere Else is high octane garage noise at its finest, and proves that you only need a little to do so much. Benny Doyle
This year sees the return of Canberra house duo The Aston Shuffle with their second studio release, Photographs. The record features heavy but masterful production and a determinedly more pop-driven sound than their first, making it incredibly catchy and easy to listen to. Opener Tear It Down is an infectious techno-pop tune, starting slow before building to several exciting crescendos. Comfortable is a slight departure with a rawer instrumental line in its introduction, resulting in an unexpectedly classic techno track. Photographs appears to slow down with Can’t Stop Now, which features a reduced rhythm in its introduction paired with heartfelt lyrics, but then builds into a bass-heavy house beat, making it one of the standouts here. The variety of talents in production and lyricism on this record is displayed again
HTRK
VARIOUS
Ghostly International/ Mistletone
Warner
Psychic 9-5 Club
While the sound may be a departure, the aesthetic and conceptual themes remain: isolation, late nights beautiful loneliness. Suitably, the band’s trademark throbbing bass lines are notably absent, with the emptiness left behind by 24 • THE MUSIC • 26TH MARCH 2014
in Astronaut, which features earnest vocal phrases with a catchy but incredibly complex electronic beat, the song another departure from the usual with its slow chorus and relatively light rhythm. Then towards the end you’ve got You Really Got Me, which is enjoyable and well-produced but somewhat simpler than its counterparts, before the record closes with perhaps its most exciting moment, Sunrise Won’t Get Lost. While certainly adopting a more pop-heavy sound than we’re used to, the variety of sonics and rhythms definitely showcase The Aston Shuffle’s formidable talent. Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life
Melbourne hate rockers HTRK have more history than their discography will ever imply. Psychic 9-5 Club is the band’s first proper full-length as a duo following the death of founding bass player Sean Stewart. The stark electronic minimalism of opener Give it Up recalls the classic krautrock grooves of early Can or Neu and marks what is a further turn away from the post-punk, Birthday Party-esque sounds the band channelled in their earliest days. Jonnine Standish’s misery-dreamy vocals still enchant and entice, and Nigel Yang’s production work is easily the group’s most focused and mature yet.
★★★½
★★★★ Stewart felt throughout, be it in the insular and at times claustrophobic lyrics or in the newly confident electronic sounds on the album – which feel even more remote and far away than on previous records, where an easy bass hook could be lent on in a grasp at familiarity. In spite of this, the album is no crushing dirge of depression – in its own way, it’s oddly hopeful. This is the sound of a band who’ve picked up the pieces and found a new, exciting beast in their hands. HTRK remain the brilliant and confrontational group they’ve always been, they’re just navigating a strange new world. Andrew McDonald
The vast majority of ‘tribute’ albums suck. Why? Because usually they’re full of third rate acts running through tepid recreations of classic songs created by the bands they once hoped to be. It’s very refreshing then that this project, designed to celebrate the mighty Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio), boasts such a stellar line-up. Anthrax, Metallica, Tenacious D, Rob Halford, Glenn Hughes and of course various members of Ronnie’s own band – all substantial artists in their own right, and even more importantly all proud to admit the influence the diminutive frontman had on their own careers. With the exception of Halford and maybe Glenn Hughes, none of the vocalists on this record have Ronnie’s pipes – but it doesn’t make a difference because each offering still captures the joie de vivre that marked the RJD
★★★★ experience. Anthrax’s muscular rendition of Neon Knights takes the track back to the streets, Tenacious D’s The Last In Line matches their version of Heaven & Hell for humour and charm, while Motorhead’s Starstruck (starring one Biff Byford) boasts a dirty swagger. That said, the album’s absolute highlights come in Rob Halford’s powerful take on Man On The Silver Mountain and Metallica’s dark and intense Rainbow medley (thus repeating the success they had with the kickarse Mercyful Fate tribute) that encapsulates the likes of Kill The King and Stargazer. This is one compilation that deserves your hard-earned cash. Mark Hebblewhite