Rolling Stone Australia - May 2016

REVIEWSMUSIC

Clocking in at just over 33 minutes, the Sim-

one Felice-produced sophomore outing from

theLumineersfeelslikeanefortinreaching

for enough material to produce a full-length

album. Which would be beside the point

ifCleopatrawere a collection of uniformly solid tracks –

only it isn’t.

Theproblematic“GunSong”hasbeenafixtureofthe

band’slivesetsinceatleast2011,overwroughtbildungsro-

man“SleepontheFloor”sinceatleast2013,whileSixties

folk-revivalist entry “Gale Song” itself featured in acoustic

form on theHungerGames:CatchingFireOST (2013) – and

sufers for the rendition of some mightily tired platitudes

(“and all this too shall pass...”). Both

“Angela”and“IntheLight”provethat

a slow-building composition must have

astartingpointthat’satleastalittle

engaging, while guitarist/vocalist Wesley Schultz continues

to sing about growing up and into adulthood with near-

evangelical earnestness even four years after the band’s

runaway self-titled debut landed in 2012.

Alltold–anddespiteboastingawiderarrayofoften

rich guitar textures (“Cleopatra”) – there’s little to dis-

tinguishCleopatrafromThe Lumineers.There’splenty

of urgent percussion from drummer Jeremiah Fraites,

strident piano lines (“Ophelia”), occasional cello courtesy

of core member Neyla Pekarek, and lilting vocal melodies

aplenty (“Long Way From Home”). For all that, it’s terminally

pleasant listening. GARETH HIPWELL

The Song

Remains

the Same

The LumineersCleopatraDualtone/Universal★★½

Second time out, same again for

Denver folk-pop trio

KEY TRACKS:

“Long Way From

Home”, “Cleopatra”

Andrew Bird
Are You SeriousUniversal
★★½
Gifted curator turns confessor
with staid results

U.S. musician Andrew Bird
hasameanwhistle.He’sgifted
at several instruments, par-
ticularly violin, which he often
loops and weaves into an or-
chestral backing for his smart,
verboseand,yes,oftenwhistle-
assisted songs. On this 10th
solo album, Bird’s ditched some
ofthesetheatricaltendencies
inthewakeof“brutaltimes”
inhispersonallifei.e.lifeand
death. Problem is, confessional
songwriting doesn’t suit Bird,
whostillscansasmorebesot-
ted in craft and microtonal
adjustmentsthanlyricalheft.
Thebare“LeftHandedKisses”,
aduetwithFionaApple,aims
for the heart but drags; closer
“Bellevue” is indicative of the
album’s weird axis: smart but
unmemorable. MARCUS TEAGUE

Ben Harper & the

Innocent Criminals

CallItWhatItIsStax/Caroline

★★½

First record in a decade for roots

mega-groupplaysitsafe

Beginningwiththeoddlydis-

jointed “When Sex Was Dirty”,

a paean to the Nineties when

the band started, Ben Harper

& the Innocent Criminals’ first

cuttogetherinnineyearsisa

mixed bag. While a good deal

ofthealbumisasolidstudyin

the soul/rock they’ve done so

well,afairbitalsofallsshort.

The title track and “Shine” just

don’t seem to quite hit their

mark,whilesongslikethelilt-

ing “Deeper and Deeper” just

seem out of place. “Pink Bal-

loon” gives a good rock kick

though, while “Dance Like

Fire” is a little country/soul

gem. It’s a good record, but

is a timid reunion for a band

capable of blowing the roof of

a house. SAMUEL J. FELL

The Bennies
Wisdom MachinePoison City
★★★★
Party-punk band deliver
weed-soaked bacchanal

The Bennies genuflect at the
shrine of partying more than
John Belushi and Andrew WK
combined.Wisdom Machine
is belligerently raucous, relent-
lessly delivering good times
and accentuating their usual
horn-flecked party-punk with
electronic flourishes, as on the
ball-tearing “Party Machine”.
“Maybe We Could Get High”,
“Legalise(ButDon’tTax)”
and Sabbath-lite “Corrup-
tion” are full of guitars, hints
of ska, gleeful keys and never
growing up.Wisdom Machine
soundtracksanunhinged
fever-dream house party full
of triumph, regret, and bong
waterstainsonthecouchthat
match the amount of times
some dude named Jeff says,
“Thisisafuckin’greatparty,
man.” JAYMZ CLEMENTS

Plague Vendor

BloodsweatEpitaph

★★★½

Dark wave Cali punk band bring

the pain, melody

Theiroriginslayingrimy,

dark hued garage-punk, but

onBloodsweatPlague Ven-

dor hone their edges, and now

comeacrosslikeaderanged,

bare-chested goth-punk White

Stripes on the spare, brutal and

punishingly melodic “Ox Blood”

and “Chopper”. Their added nu-

ance gives weight to the thump-

ing collapse of album highlights

“Jezebel”, “Giving In, Given

Out” and the chanted shred-

ding of “Credentials”. And that’s

what sets Plague Vendor apart:

their knack for abrasive mel-

odyonlyrearsitsheadinfits

and piques, almost as though

it doesn’t want to reveal itself.

Coupled with their shadowy

goth-punk, they create a head-

spacethatis–asonchurning

psyche burn closer “Got It Bad”

• comfortingly confronting.J.C.

96 | Rolling Stone | RollingStoneAus.com May, 2016