singles/ep reviews
★★½
★★★
★★★★
ELEANOR DUNLOP
GINGER & THE GHOST
LE1F
Cut Your Teeth
Independent
Rabbl
Sony
Coasting over sultry, moderately jazzy tones in a nondemanding way, Dunlop’s warm vocals are slightly husky. Her restrained, pianodriven melodies recall Norah Jones, although they are more upbeat. This tame offering conveys a certain sleepiness, as demonstrated when single Rough Side Of Town sifts and patters along. This is an easy listening collection that strives for a loungey mood we’ve heard before – think returning home after a long day’s work and pouring yourself a glass of wine. But the EP’s production is far too uninteresting and bland, not enabling Dunlop to extend herself enough in any track.
Shrouded in solemnity and dripping, orchestral tones, this dramatic art-pop release flirts with self-indulgence. The Sydney duo present themselves in a delicate, earth banimal veneer (both style and sound). But this attempt at free-spirited aesthetic is forced to contend with highly controlled theatrics such as epic, militant-style backing vox in the fluid single/title track. Notable highlights include their interludes of lilting, fingerpicked guitar and uniquely high, sugary vocals. However if Call Up The Whales was released a few years ago, it might have made a stronger statement. They play at Boney on 27 Mar.
Terrible Records / XL Recordings
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
KYLA LA GRANGE A percussive foundation of snaps and tinkles is topped with La Grange’s soft but lethal vocals. Wonky synth and a low baritone in the chorus plus a gritty bridge drives the song home.
THE BACCHANALES
Why It Stopped Raining Independent Off to a bad start with a 25-second-long four-bar nothing for an intro. Bland rock continues in the verse, jumping jerkily into a ‘big’ chorus. Utterly basic, dude-guitar music.
FRANK OCEAN, DIPLO, PAUL SIMONON & MICK JONES
Eleanor Dunlop
Call Up The Whales
Hey
Returning to his grinding dance roots, older favourite Wut features here on the first official release from New York’s Le1f. His fast rapping skills on this track plus its rhythmic, horn-driven melody (undeniably the inspiration for Thrift Shop) can’t help but impress. Other killer numbers include the eerily cool opener/title track, plus the scorching Boom; an infectious, weed-smoking anthem. Le1f ’s throaty, drawling style of rap possesses a cruel, darker edge that’s completely becoming and carries weight. Brimming with style and personality, Le1f conveys a grimy, party feel within this minimalist, hip hop equivalent of junkyard music. Stephanie Tell
Hero
Converse Weirdly representative of all artists’ disparate styles – Ocean’s ever-soulful vocals, Diplo’s beats and production, and the bass and guitar mastery of The Clash’s Simonon and Jones – Hero sounds like the mess you’d expect, but you can’t stop listening.
ELEANOR DUNLOP
★★★½
LOST WOODS Lost Woods Independent
★★½
SLUMBERHAZE
Rhyme, Rhythm & Romance (Part 2) Independent
★★★½
THE LOVELESS Room
Independent
Taking Chances languidly but purposefully drapes itself over you, gently nodding bass and splashes of guitar propelled by Van Etten’s dreary, dreamy chorus lilt. Bathe in it.
The culmination of Lost Woods’ sound, name and cover evoke particularly peaceful elements of the wilderness, like a riverside camping trip. Sunny, psych hints in this airy indie-rock release result in a comforting, pleasurable listening experience. Driven by impressively vast and sprawling vocals, the individuality of their material sometimes detracts due to its cultivated perfection. Tender opener Overflow features billowy guitar lines and intricate, melting harmonies while the chordier King Of Aberdeen exudes a lighter playfulness. This offering is accessible to everyone to some extent, though perhaps from a gentle distance.
Jolting between genres and layers while cloaked in a veil of seriousness, this collection is incredibly hard to classify, which is strangely disconcerting. Unusual track Dancing With The Hollows falls somewhere between hip hop and alt-rock due to its mish-mash of reverby guitar and scratching. Later tracks draw on an epic, ‘80s pop sound, while the combo of piano, synth and guitar in I Lose Control is simultaneously operatic and all over the place. It’s commendable that Slumberhaze have attempted something adventurous, but they’ve overreached. Too much going on renders this release crowded and muddled.
For those who need extra padding for their sounds of Seattle collection, or who are simply after something more downbeat, this unabashed tribute to the ‘90s should certainly do the trick. Featuring strong grunge hooks and wholly apathetic scuzzy tones, tracks such as White Rabbit particularly recall Nirvana’s use of intimate, stark dynamics. Wading through a thick, murky haze, Elissa Rose’s scratchy, dissonant vocals channel those of Courtney Love, unleashing abrasive screams with ease. Refreshingly unfashionable (though some might say, dated), this clanging angstfest makes no effort to pierce its prevailing gloominess. And why should it?
Stephanie Liew
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
Rough Side Of Town Independent Neither the song’s melody nor Dunlop’s shaky vocals are strong enough for Rough Side Of Town to be so stripped-back, its piano barely there; it starts off in the middle of nowhere and stays there.
SHARON VAN ETTEN Taking Chances Jagjaguwar/SC
36 • THE MUSIC • 19TH MARCH 2014