OCTOBER 14'

A couple of crackers here this month which will lead me to provide no monthly Spotify playlist (Sorry to those subscribers!!). But, take my word, have a listen to these albums below as I’m sure you will find a couple of promising tracks in amongst this lot.

Make sure to leave a comment and tell me how you're travelling with these records or any this year for that matter!

Cheers

LF

Albums

Artist: Mosman Alder

Album: Humdrum Star

Year: 2014

Similar Artists: The National, Arcade Fire
My Rating: 7.5/10

I was lucky enough to catch Mosman Alder playing a support slot for The Head And The Heart at their Melbourne show in July. They played an impressive set and were definitely put on the radar for when their debut Humdrum Star landed in September.

After a solid months’ worth of listening now, I can happily say that this would be one the best records to come out of Australia this year and most certainly the best debut effort. Mixing beautiful violins and keys into some dark and twisted songs, creates a fantastic ambience and really gives this album some unique characteristics.

The highlight, and it is a big one at that, comes four tracks in and is titled ‘Try Your Luck’. This song possesses some real beauty, delivered from the second the song opens with a kooky little guitar hook and builds to the chorus where we are hit with the majestic vocals from violinist Robyn Dawson. As always, some wonderfully crafted harmonising enhances this chorus as a call and respond ensues with main man Valdis Valodze. This song really hits you from first listen and is a very likely top 5 song of the year contender!!

‘Germanland (Of Julien Charbonneau)’ was the first single released from the album and again is one of the more upbeat tracks. Every instrument works so effortlessly and for something as intricate, it sounds incredibly simple. Little guitars run amock throughout, behind a backdrop of great drumming and of course, the keys on top add that perfect mix. ‘Home Again’ is another solid track while ‘God Is Pissing On You’ takes the cake for the best track name!!

‘Shine’ slows things down a few pegs and does have something majestic to it, but I don’t think it’s the key track that some reviews have alluded to. ‘Prized Paradise’ is another great one, this time with a strong opening of keys followed by a whirring type guitar riff that borderlines on grunge however it really fits in well. Finally, closing track ‘Spirit’ takes the album out on a great note; everything falls into place and I reckon all band members would love playing this song. It builds slowly to what ends up as an all out harmony that could have been easily overdone, but true to form, Mosman Alder seem to have nailed the perfect mix of all instruments and vocals.

What a beauty of a record this is and one that will have lot to offer to most of you. If you get the chance as well, head long to The Gasomter, Melbourne on Thursday December 4^th to see it all play out live!

Artist: Allo Darlin’

Album: We Come From The Same Place

Year: 2014

My Rating 8/10

We Come From The Same Place is the third album from the now European based half-Australian quartet Allo Darlin’. Successfully following up one good record must be hard, but to conquer it again by following up with another beauty must be borderline impossible. And luckily, I have the pleasure of telling you that yes, Allo Darlin’ have conquered the unbelievably challenging task of releasing now three excellent albums!!

This record, in comparison to its predecessors feels less dense; lightly packed on the surface, but deep down it is full of unique intricacies that only an incredibly talented band would be able to produce. Everything appears to be wound down a couple of pegs and the tracks seem more flowery, perhaps even bubbly at times.  However when you really dig deep, the guitar work from Paul Rains is absolutely outstanding, along with the ever improved, beautiful song writing from front-woman Elizabeth Morris. Rains’ guitar work has never been slack by any stretch, but what you hear on We Come From The Same Place is truly wonderful.

Morris has said on a number of occasions that she wrote this album in record time by her standards and as a result of her newly found love, each song came out with ease. The more you listen to the album, the more you believe this, as there is candid and natural flow that resonances throughout each track. Similarly, I find her step away from the at times corny vocals on previous record Europe as we now experience a more mature and established lyrical inventory from Morris. There still remains plenty of Australian references that we have grown to love, none more so than in ‘Crickets In The Rain’….. “I kissed you in a swimming pool, your lips were sweet from the juicy fruits”. I’m not sure what makes a simple line like this resonate with us, perhaps it’s the nostalgia from our Australian summers, or perhaps it’s just because it is so damn captivating when lyrics strike a chord with the listener.

While we are on captivating, let’s talk about the first ever a duet heard on an Allo Darlin’ record; ‘Bright Eyes’. Again, the great Paul Rains comes into his own and delivers a charming duet with Elizabeth in what appears to be the highlight of the album. So often indie pop music is written about love, but never really do you feel love as much as you do singing along to this track. Wether or not your deeply in love or completely heart-broken, I’m certain that this song will resonate immensely with even the most tenacious hearts.  

And if we’re going to continue on with love, we may as well mention track 2, ‘Kings and Queens’. Without doubt another love song, but that aside another charming moment on this record. Bassist Bill Botting has a wonderful influence throughout this track as his ever pleasant bass riffs barrel along in such a smile-worthy, finger tapping fashion. ‘We Come From The Same Place’ follows and yes more of the same, this time finishing with anther captivating effort from Rains on guitar. Another great track and I can already feel myself getting up to dance at The Tote next time they play in Melbourne!

‘Half Heart Necklace’ drives some heavier tones into the listener, steering away from the fluorescent glow that has been delivered so far. Again, a top track and one that surely the band would have had a ball recording. Now, not only does ‘Crickets In The Rain’ possess some great lyrics as mentioned above, it also manages to provide us with another opportunity to swing our hips and sing along with its ebs and flows. If you’re close to being hooked at this point, then this track will grab you with all its might and rip the hooks right through your top lip.

Closing track ‘Another Year’ appears to be the sister track to ‘Tallulah’ from Europe; even though it isn’t quite as captivating, it still provides us with some familiarity (not that we needed it at all!!)

 I can’t wait for this album to continue growing on me in the next couple of months and further into the future as I know from previous Allo Darlin’ records that the growth is potentially endless. These are the types of records that will stick with you and evoke memories of special moments and good times spent with those close to you.

Artist: Literature

Album: Chorus

Year: 2014

Similar Artists: The School, Twerps, Alvvays
My Rating 6.5/10

Literature hit us in 2012 with the ultra catchy gem Arab Spring. I reviewed it in April and am still very fond of the record; short, sharp and simple indie pop at its best. 2 years on and with a much better backing from Slumberland Records, Literature have released the follow up, titled Chorus.

Surprisingly (and luckily for the fans!) not a lot has changed; they have delivered us another uptempo thirty minutes worth of punchy yet sophisticated pop tunes. I will even go as far to say that with a bigger production from Slumberland, they have managed to add a degree of polish and perhaps even expand their repertoire somewhat. However, taking this into account the songs on Chorus don’t quite hit the highs that Arab Spring did. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to like on this record, but unfortunately not quite as much as we would have hoped for.

Nonetheless, opener ‘The Girl, The Gold Watch, And Everything’ draws in you from the first beat and definitely proves that nothing has changed in the way these blokes go about their song writing. ‘Blasé’ continues the jangly guitar drenched feel, which leads into the best track on the record ‘Tie Dye (Your Life)’. This song was released as a single last year and has gone through a significant facelift since; everything has a fuller sound including of course the superb overlapping guitars. I would love to know how many guitars these guys record and or play with, as at times, it sounds as though there could be up to 4 being played at any given time!

‘Court Date’ follows and is another solid track, along with the heavier ‘Jimmy’. ‘Chime Hours’ displays a kind of Mediterranean vibe with its whispy undertones that will put you closer to Jamaica than what you would have been in a while.

One thing I can guarantee is that you will find yourself asking “where did the last 30 minutes go?” as the album storms to an end through closing track ‘Kites.’ Yes, it might not be as exciting as what Arab Spring is, but it is most certainly worth a listen and definitely better than a lot of sophomore records you will hear….