Rolling Stone Australia — July 2017

It’s hard to imagine Jamie “xx” Smith much

likes London Grammar being compared to

his band. He’d have reason to groan, too –

whileLondonGrammar’sfirstalbumenjoyed

therarecombinationofcriticalacclaimand

huge international sales, their second is less impressive,

a dirge-heavy collection that lacks the colourful counter-

points of its predecessor – and certainly the boundless

imagination of Smith’s work.

Hannah Reid’s vocals are undeniably arresting – she’s

gotlungstomatchFlorenceWelch’s–butthesongslack

the range of her clarion alto. Lyrically, too, Reid stumbles

–“followyourdreams”onrepeatin“WildEyed”ishardto

stomach, and her reminder that “Maybe what we are and

what we need, they’re different things” (shock horror!) crip-

ples “Non-Believer”, an otherwise palatable track about her

scepticism of a friend’s new lover.

Some songs work, among them “Big Picture”, produced

by Jon Hopkins, with lovely arpeggiated guitar chords rip-

pling under an equally pretty chorus; close relative “Who

Am I”; and “Everyone Else”, Dan Rothman’s guitar im-

partingaliltinglightnessoverDotMajor’smanneredper-

cussion.ButproducerPaulEpworth,oldhatatmaking

mighty-voiced women (Adele, Florence Welch) sound ever

more grandiose, fails to guide his young charges towards

muchneworexciting–unlike,say,thebeat-driven“Metal

and Dust” or bongos-laced “Flickers” from their debut – and

the album suffers for it. ANNABEL ROSS

KirinJ.Callinan

BravadoEMI★★★½

In a celebratory mood, Callinan

collabs with international friends

Album two sees Sydney’s en-

fant terrible parlaying more of

his shit-stirring persona into

his music. “Night on the piss,

theshithitsthefan,”hedead-

pans in his laconic drawl on “My

Moment”,acreeperthatcul-

minates in garish EDM sirens,

while“S.A.D”isaballs-outelec-

tro-ballad...aboutdrugs.This

is Callinan’s dance record, filled

with typically wry lyrics, amus-

ingcameos–JimmyBarnes

lends his howl to “Big Enough”

–andCallinan’scoolcronies

(he counts Connan Mocka-

sin, Weyes Blood and Jorge El-

brecht among his friends and

fans).Thepower-balladfinale,

though, is more self-aware than

silly, as Callinan admits, “it was

all bravado”. A.R.

Rise Against

WolvesEMI★★★½

Fiery eighth album from Chicago

punk stalwarts

Rise Against’s furiously politi-

cised punk means there’s al-

ways fodder for their meaty

chops, and now’s as good a time

asanywithapsychoticnarcis-

sist in the White House. So the

muscly punk of “Mourning In

Amerika”,“HowManyWalls”

and “Welcome to the Break-

down” tackle the rampant di-

visive dipshittery of Trump’s

America, while the charging ti-

tle-track ought to accompany a

clip of el Presidente and his dis-

gusting cronies distorting into

nightmarish animals devour-

inghumanity.Best,though,

is“Bullshit”,afierypunk-rock

torch song examining political

apathy and moral hollowness in

contemporary society.

JAYMZ CLEMENTS

London GrammarTruthIsaBeautifulThing

Universal★★★

TheReturnof

London Grammar

British ambient pop trio play it safe on

uneven sophomore record

of four CDs, two DVDs and a

double LP. Most versions of the

setalsoincludeseveraloftheal-

bum’s alternate tracks. All edi-

tionsfeatureastereoremixby

Giles and Abbey Road audio en-

gineerSamOkell.Theambition

mightseemalittlerisky.After

all,Sgt. Pepperhas been con-

sideredbymanynotjustrock’s

greatest moment but a central

touchstone for the 1960s.

Asitturnsout,thisreveals

freshwonders–particularly

inthestereoremix.In1967,

themonomixwasthefocus.

Stereo,Martinremarksinthe

linernotes,was“almost[an]

afterthought. Yet it is the stereo

albumthatmostpeoplelisten

to today.” Martin aimed for a

“3D mono” feel in his new mix

• and he has achieved it. “Sgt.
  Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
  Band” jumps out of the speak-
  ers–sharp,vivid,forward-
  leaning. Ringo Starr’s drum
  salvo that launches the chorus
  in“LucyintheSkyWithDia-
  monds” now gives new gravi-
  ty to the song’s hallucinogenic
  whirl; “Getting Better” has an
  aggression that belies the song’s
  titleclaim;“ADayintheLife”
  acquires even more frighten-
  ingly palpable depth.
  Extra discs consist mostly of
  takes of the tracks in develop-
  ment.It’sfascinatingtohear
  thesimpleandspareoriginsof
  “StrawberryFieldsForever”(re-
  corded for the LP but released
  earlierin1967asasingle).It’s
  also arguable that some songs
  were better before the band
  addedstudioeffects:“Being
  for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” is
  spookier in its Take 4 version,
  andmuchwarmerinTake7
  with Paul McCartney’s pump-
  ingbassstepsandStarr’sra-
  zor-sharpcymbalaccents.Sim-
  ilarly,takesof“WithaLittle
  Help From My Friends”, “Love-
  ly Rita” and others demonstrate
  that before curlicues and over-
  dubs there was still a band at
  the heart of most of this music.
  Sgt. Pepperrepresented accord
  and imagination as a means to
  enlightenment, a bulwark of
  agreement before acrimony en-
  gulfed the band. It can still be-
  guileustoday,andthatremains
  a generous miracle.

Reviews

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ERIC RYAN ANDERSON