Rolling_Stone_Australia_October_2017

We’veseenthatappletreebefore,onthe

cover ofTeaFortheTillermannearly 40

yearsgo.“HowI’dlovetobeachild,”thefor-

mer Cat Stevens sighs on “Mighty Peace”, his

tone beyond wistful, the fragile acoustic riff a

heartbroken echo of “Where Do the Children Play?”.

Asithappens,“MightyPeace”hailsfromfurtherback

still, half-finished during his apprenticeship on London’s

mid-Sixties folk circuit and remembered here in between

newsongsandveryold.Fourofthem,includingtheopen-

er“BlacknessoftheNight”,theparable-liketitletrackand

theeerie“NorthernWind”,arerescuedfromtheover-

egged production of the Cat’s second album of ’67. Two

more,“Grandsons”and“MaryandtheLittleLamb”,have

languishedasdemosforhalfacentury.“YouCanDo

(Whatever)” was originally meant for Seventies cult flick

Harold and Maude and man, it sounds like it.

With their scriptural allusions, childlike melodies and

tenderhumanity,thethreenewcompositionssitsoseam-

lessly in the mix that the whole album may as well have

been beamed in complete from 1970. The classically in-

spired “Don’t Blame Them” rings with the gentle wisdom

ofanoldmanbut,hey,didn’ttheyalways?

Light-fingeredTillermanproducer Paul Samwell-Smith

andSeventiesguitaristAlunDaviesendorsethedream-

likeairofanagelesssearchforhighertruthinabad,bad

world. MICHAEL DWYER

Son Little

New MagicAnti-★★★½

Philly golden boy returns with

modern take on classic R&B

Son Little’s unassuming but po-

tent interpretation of soul is de-

fined by a world-weary mellow-

ness that makes his second LP

compelling, and perhaps a more

mature offering than his 2015

self-titled debut. The tired angst

ofasonglike“TheMiddle”and

the more simmering yearning

of “ASAP” exhibit the album’s

range, while his effortless vo-

cals are smooth with gruff un-

dertones,notunlikesoulpioneer

Billy Paul. Throughout, there

are intriguing hints of sonic ex-

perimentation and unanticipat-

ed studio effects: more of this

mayhaveaddedawelcomefur-

ther dimension toNew Magic,

butit’shardtoarguewithsuch

abeautifullysolemn,butalsose-

rene, statement. BARNABY SMITH

Maya Jane Coles

Take Flight

Skint Records/BMG★★★½

British multi-tasker’s follow-up to

2013’s ‘Comfort’

ShapeshiftingBritMayaJane

Coles decided not to take any

shortcuts on her second album

(third if you count her dubstep-

leaning LP as Nocturnal Sun-

shine).Across24tracks,thepro-

ducer/mixer/singer manages to

stay true to her dynamic brand

of tech-house melancholy while

exploringallofitspossibleper-

mutations, from the rubbery,

subterranean chill of “Weak”

tothehouseykeysandellipti-

calbeatof“GoOnandMake

It Through”. Tracks such as the

witchy, woozy “Stay” provide

welcome jolts after a languid

mid-section, but ultimately the

worldColeshascreatedisahyp-

notic, significant accomplish-

ment. ANNABEL ROSS

Tim Wheatley

Pillar to PostSony★★★

Sophomore album sees Aussie

straddling genres and continents

SincetakingupinLA,Wheat-

ley’ssoundingalittledarker.As

the album opens with the blue-

sy stomp and smoky narrative

of “Midnight Man”, imagine a

genteel Tom Waits, if you can.

There’s sweet alt-folk on “Bet-

terDays”,alittleindie-popon

“Violet Skies”, and a smidge of

country-rock on “The Rest of

the Way”, but we’re never far

fromheavyguitargroovesand

whisky-tinged vocals. It culmi-

natesinasoundthatisweary,

but not wearisome: just nostal-

gic and slightly bruised. There’s

a twangy, American presence

throughout–banjo,yes,anda

fewburstsofbrass–but“Skip-

per’s Daughter” has a loping

homesickness that Australians

know best. JESSIE CUNNIFFE

The Dream Syndicate

HowDidIFindMyselfHere?

Anti-★★★½

Threedecadeshavebarely

dimmed their college rock flame

What’s a few decades between

friends? Twenty-eight years

sincebreakingup,theEight-

iesUSalternativebandrelease

theirfifthalbum.Timehascer-

tainlynotweariedthem–they

maybemoregrizzledbutthefire

remains in ragged songs pep-

peredwithjaggedguitarsand

down-at-heel characters. “Soon

asthepillsstartedkickinginshe

decidedtogoforadrive,”Steve

WynnsingsinaLouReed-like

drawlon“LikeMary”,achim-

ingtuneaboutawomanonthe

verge. In fact, the band sounds

onthevergethroughout,wheth-

er it’s the Velvets-meets-Mary

Chain squall-and-drone of “Out

Of My Head” or the 11-minute

sprawl of the title track. B.D.

YusufThe Laughing Apple

Decca/Universal★★★½

Old Is

New Again

The Cat is back on an album that revisits his

past and plots his future

October, 2017

Reviews

84 | Rolling Stone | RollingStoneAus.com