London-based band Dry Cleaning have shared their new single “Scratchcard Lanyard,” which also serves as their debut release with 4AD Records and should appear on their debut album, which is on the horizon soon.
The band has shared the creative music video for the song which marks the directorial debut of artist duo Rottingdean Bazaar which sees vocalist Florence Shaw singing in a miniature nightclub that is shot in a stylistic fashion. The song itself is a compelling art-punk rock effort that has some sharp angular guitar riffs that perfectly set the table for Shaw’s delivery that feels like a mix between Protomartyr, U.S. Girls and Parquet Courts. All good things.
‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ is a treatise on the joy of life’s little pleasures, where air fresheners become mighty oaks and Instagram filters are glamourous holiday destinations. The South London band explain further – “In the search for your true calling in life, it’s easy to try so many things that you end up confused. It can lead to an enormous build-up of frustration. You may fantasise about exacting revenge upon your real or imagined enemies. Ephemeral things and small-scale escapist experiences can provide some relief!”
The companion video for ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’ riffing on the song’s celebration of the humdrum – inserts vocalist Florence Shaw into her own miniature night club. Rottingdean Bazaar are artists James Theseus Buck and Luke Brooks. Their work includes design, creative direction and fine art practices, and the duo live and work in Rottingdean, East Sussex in the UK.
Dry Cleaning is Nick Buxton (drums), Tom Dowse (guitar), Lewis Maynard (bass) and Florence Shaw (vocals). Firm friends for years, they only started making music after a karaoke party in 2017 inspired a collaboration. They wrote instrumentally to begin with and six months later Shaw, a university lecturer and picture researcher by day, joined on vocals with no prior musical experience.
Dry Cleaning’s music is simple – direct and uncomplicated. The Feelies, the Necessaries, the B52s and Pylon all served as inspirations when the band first came together. The small and intimate garage / rehearsal space had a huge influence on the sound; both of last year’s EPs Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks and Sweet Princess were written here. The quartet have finished work on their debut album, with details to follow soon.
Dry Cleaning share the song ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’, the group’s first release on 4AD Records.
Real Estate were breezy right from the start but have mellowed further with every record. The Main Thing, is the band’s fifth album, is their most settled yet. Also one of their most enjoyable. This is Real Estate’s second album with Julian Lynch as the group’s other guitarist, alongside frontman Martin Courtney, and everything feels comfortable if thankfully not quite predictable. Keyboardist Matthew Kallman’s presence is increased, with swirling synthesizers intertwining with the rippling guitar leads, and Jackson Pollis is credited not just with drums but drum programming. In that way, there’s an added emphasis on rhythm and groove, with Alex Bleeker’s basslines more fluid than they’ve ever been before. The album opens with “Friday,” a song whose oceanic synths and rolling basslines are closer to Air or Zero 7 than The Grateful Dead or The Feelies, and it’s not the only soft rock touch here. That leads directly into “Paper Cup” which, with sweeping strings, bongos and a fat keyboard lead dueling with the guitars, is just a Michael McDonald backup vocal away from being full-on yacht rock. No Doobie Brothers in earshot, but Sylvan Esso’sAmelia Meath does provide lovely background vocals.
The rest of The Main Thing is in more familiar Real Estate territory, and quality remains high. “You” is an instant classic, and the title track is nearly as appealing with a soaring, compact guitar solo that actually leaves you wanting more. Courtney and Lynch stretch out and peel off some jammier leads on “Also A But” and a few other tracks, but for the most part keep things, tight, bright and just a little wistful. As for the album’s title, it was partially inspired by Roxy Music’s song of the same name and more specifically about how doing the thing you love is your true path. Which, in the case of this band, is writing super catchy guitar pop. To that end Real Estate are wildly succeeding.
George Harrison released the 3 LP set “All Things Must Pass” on November. 27th, 1970. “All Things Must Pass” was a triple album recorded and released in 1970. The album was Harrison’s first solo work since the break-up of the Beatles in April of that year, and his third solo album overall. It included the hit singles “My Sweet Lord” and “What Is Life.” The record introduced Harrison’s signature sound, the slide guitar, and the spiritual themes that would be present throughout his subsequent solo work.
Among the large cast of backing musicians were Eric Clapton and Delaney & Bonnie’s Friends band – three of whom formed Derek and the Dominos with Clapton during the recording – as well as Ringo Starr, Gary Wright, Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, John Barham, Badfinger and Pete Drake. The sessions produced a double album’s worth of extra material, most of which remains unissued.
The record was critically and commercially successful on release, with long stays at number 1 on charts around the world. “All Things Must Pass” is “generally rated” as the best of all the former Beatles’ solo albums. George Harrison may have been “the quiet Beatle” but he was still one fourth of what was probably the most important band on the planet, whose contribution to the group, and popular music in general, cannot be underestimated. His use of the 12 string electric on the “A Hard Day’s Night” album, and subsequent movie had such a profound impact on Roger McGuinn, that he soon went out and bought himself a Rickenbacker. Harrison also changed the direction of pop music when he introduced the sitar on 1966’s Rubber Soul, thus creating a sound that would within a few months forever become synonymous with the psychedelic movement.
But it wasn’t until 1970, after the Beatles announced their breakup that Eric Clapton introduced him to Delaney Bramlett, where within a matter of weeks George developed the unique slide technique he is remembered for today, a style which owes itself less to the blues or rock and roll, and more to Harrison’s soul.
No doubt Lennon and McCartney’s domination in the song writing department must have proved to be a great frustration for Harrison, who was often forced to take a back seat. Thus Harrison found himself in the enviable position of having a rich cache of material to draw from, and so he set to work on his first solo album proper (with the exception of Wonderwall Music, which was really a soundtrack anyway), assembling a cast that included Clapton, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman, Dave Mason, Badfinger, and probably whoever else was hanging around the studio at the time.
“Beware of Darkness.” If you’re looking for a little spiritual uplift about now, look no further than this George Harrison heartfelt meditation on the perils of living in the material world. “Beware of Darkness,” irom Harrison’s triple album “All Things Must Pass.” Clearly, George had been filing away songs that never made it to Beatles‘ albums, so “All Things Must Pass,” opened the floodgates for him to explore his more inner-directed concerns with glorious results. The song features Eric Clapton and Dave Mason on guitars, Carl Radle on bass, Bobby Whitlock on piano, Gary Wright on organ, and old trusty, fellow Beatle, Ringo Starr on drums. It represented an extension of Harrison’s spiritual awakening in India in 1968 when he and the Beatles traveled to Rishikesh to meet up again with Mararishi Mahesh Yogi, whom they had met in 1967 in Wales. Harrison had included “Within You, Without You,” on Sgt. Pepper in 1967, and had incorporated the sitar even earlier on “Rubber Soul” in 1965, and “Revolver” in 1966, indicating a slowly shifting focus.
“Beware of Darkness,” possesses a sweetness, beauty and depth of feeling that only could have come from Harrison at that time. “All Things Must Pass,” including this song, are his answer to his fellow Beatles, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who for years limited Harrison to one song on most albums. Though a single album brimming with greatness might have been preferable, George felt the need to demonstrate his own writing prowess over three albums, with stellar results.
The resulting triple LP, “All Things Must Pass”, was and remains the finest musical statement made by a solo Beatle. It was also a global hit, thanks mainly to the single “My Sweet Lord”, a spiritual pop-rock paean to Harrison’s recent conversion to the teachings of Hare Krishna. That people went out and bought it in droves is a testament not only to the quality of the tunes contained within its grooves, but also the talent behind it.
“I’d Have You Anytime” gets things off to a low key and leisurely start, where he hear Clapton’s sweet and endearing guitar tones complement Harrison’s pleading and plaintive vocals. A lovely piece overall. Next is the big one, “My Sweet Lord”, perhaps the song Harrison is most identified with post Beatles, which is fair enough. Now whether he ‘subconsciously’ borrowed from the Chiffons 1963 hit “She’s So Fine” is a matter of conjecture. Because at the end of the day, who really gives a shit. It’s a great song, and that’s all that’s matters.
We then get the bigger than Hollywood, Phil Spector produced “Wah-Wah”, dominated by Clapton’s own wah-wah, and Harrison’s gorgeous slide guitar. It’s a monumental track and one where everyone seems to be flying by the seat of their pants. “Isn’t It a Pity” is a philosophical number, and finds Harrison reflecting on all that’s wrong with the world, in that epic “Hey Jude” kind of way, only with a bit more spirituality thrown in. “What Is Life” lifts the listener up then puts him (or her) down again in one glorious swoop. Imagine Bob Dylan meets The Ronettes. And speaking of Dylan, “If Not for You” first appeared on his 1970 album New Morning. But this is my favourite rendition. Hands down.
Now I’m not much of a fan of country, however “Behind that Locked Door” aches with a yearning which speaks to me every time I hear it. “Let It Down” starts off all big and bombast before falling into a relaxing groove. Billy Preston provides some soothing organ, while Harrison laments about his state of mind. “Run of the Mill” is another intellectually searching opus, albeit in less than three minutes. But putting aside the ‘what do our lives mean’ aspect, it’s a great song nonetheless. And one I never seem to tire of.
The second LP, and yes I do own the vinyl version, the best in my opinion, begins in depressing fashion with “Beware of Darkness”, hardly the sort of song you want to play to someone on a first date. Suffice to say I’m quite a fan of it nonetheless. The same goes with “Apple Scruffs”, which is not only a summation of everything Harrison had learned from the Beatles (just listen to the harmonies), but also a great play on words, at least in relation to the Apple label which his previous band had founded, and which wound up costing them huge sums of money in the process.
“Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)” is one of the most haunting tunes of the record, but I can’t tell you why. Call it the mystery of music. “Awaiting On You All” is a short uplifting gospel number, although the listener finds himself on the psychiatrist’s couch again with the title track, a song that probably sums up Harrison’s career at that point, and one that forces the him to gaze out on the horizon, and reflect on his own life.
Harrison gets playful on “I Dig Love”, before we get all serious and musical with “The Art of Dying”, a tune which has some superb playing by Clapton and everyone else involved. We hear a reprise of “Isn’t It a Pity”, just in case you didn’t get the message the first time, before ending with a plea to the Almighty on “Hear Me Lord”, which is really a nice song, and I guess an expression of a man who has been though a lot and was at a point where he was truly grappling with some important issues.
The third LP is a bit of hit and miss, depending on your state of mind. “It’s Johnny Birthday” is basically a self indulgent write off, though “Plug Me In” is more like it, an effervescent guitar jam, where the amps must have been running red hot. We get all late night and jammy on “I Remember Jeep”, before some High Octane Chuck Berry kicks in on “Thanks for the Pepperoni”. The only issue I have at this point of the album, is that one either has to be pissed or on some kind of drug to enjoy it.
No matter which way you look at it, All Things Must Pass was a landmark release. Harrison had made it clear that from now on he would be doing things his way and that there could not be any turning back. The man poured his heart into this record, a quality which shines through some forty years later. Harrison might not have been the most perfect human being, but his quest for some kind of universal purity in the world was a noble one at best. And while an individual who was not always at peace with himself, he wanted nothing but peace for the world.
In collaboration with the Hi, How Are You Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing open conversations around mental health and well-being, Davis will release “Strange Boy”, a unique rendering that is named after the eighth song on Johnston’s original masterpiece. Johnston, who died on September 11th, 2019 at the age of 58, has long been a beacon to those making lo-fi bedroom pop. The crinkled quality he achieved by recording to tape made him a giant of the genre. His music, celebrated for its childlike tenderness and for the way he acutely described his own struggles with bipolar disorder, is part of his enduring legacy.
Having co-written Sharon Van Etten’s 2019 hit ‘Seventeen’, Kate Davis’s background as jazz darling (invited to join the likes of Herbie Hancock, Ben Folds, Alison Krauss and Jeff Goldblum) slowly started to fade. Her debut album is cathartic indie rock in the vein of Beach House, Elliot Smith and TV on the Radio.
Kate Davis picked up a violin at age five, a bass at age thirteen. She entered the Portland Youth Philharmonic before puberty, the Grammy Jazz Ensemble before adolescence. By the time she graduated high school, Kate won the Presidential Scholar in the Arts Award and a full ride to the Manhattan School of Music. By the time she graduated college, ASCAP’s Robert Allen Award and slots at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. As a young adult, the virtuoso claimed enthusiastic endorsements from NPR, MTV, PBS and BBC as well as coveted invitations to the stage from Herbie Hancock, Ben Folds, Alison Krauss, Jeff Goldblum and the like. Most recently, sheco-wrote Sharon Van Etten’s hit single ‘Seventeen’ and contributed to the soundtrack for blockbuster Five Feet Apart. Yet, Kate considers her debut indie rock album her hardest-earned accolade to date. Kate grew up as a jazz darling, but she grew into something significantly more dynamic. Days spent practicing and performing became nights spent writing—cathartic indie rock—music simultaneously informed by and rebutting of her training. Forbidden chord progressions emerged like diary entries, documents of an internal reaction to routine.
As a homage to that original song — which begins with a three-minute recording of a man telling a story about meeting Johnston for the first time — Davis placed recordings of her own friends sharing memories that they have of Johnston as interludes between each of the nine songs on her new album. Most of the voices have been sped up to give the impression of someone fast-forwarding through a cassette tape. It’s a neat touch that adds both color and humour to the work.
Time intended for technique slipped into secret listening sessions of Beach House, Elliot Smith and TV on the Radio. In the same bright, arresting croon that ignited her youthful stardom, Davis created confessionals. Now 28 and audibly matured, Kate is prepared to properly share the artefacts from her late night craft, a full length reaction to ritual required of perfection, an outburst from the pedestal. Throughout twelve tumultuous tracks, she poetically reflects upon the intricacies of what it is to live, ruminating on topics too close to her heart – identity, self-worth, loss.
Burr Oak is the new project of Chicago based singer-songwriter Savanna Dickhut who merges together brutally honest, story– driven lyrics with raw, dreamy vocals. With just two singles out this past year, the Chicago Tribune wrote her songs “show the promise of a songwriter sure of her voice and sound, one that is piercing and deeply relatable and authentic.”
Discussing the track, Savannah has suggested “Flower Garden” is a reflection on, “a past relationship, one from a few years ago that only lasted a couple of months but had a lasting effect on me”. Here the former lover is cast as a flower garden, “so beautiful and lush at first sight”, yet as the seasons turn and the days draw in, what once seemed so positive loses its sheen, yet leaves you still questioning, “why did you have to go away?” The shifting of seasons are reflected perfectly in the tracks musical threads, what starts off as an almost genteel dreamscape gradually swells and towards the end builds to a wailing crescendo of guitar-soloing, reminiscent of Squirrel Flower or Big Thief.
Flower Garden is lifted from Burr Oak’s upcoming debut album, Late Bloomer. released November 18th, 2020.
Endless thanks to my band that is, Anthony Mest [drums], Jeffrey Sullivan [guitar], and Jacob Gordon [bass]. Thanks to Nicholas Papaleo for playing synth & keys on Flower Garden and Luke Otwell for playing lap steel.
I have some great news for you that I’ve been excited to share with you for some time. I am able to re-release The Author on ALL streaming sites for you to finally be able to listen to. I’ve finally got it back! To celebrate this I would love to invite you all to The Author party on 18th Dec. The Author will come out again on 25th December 2020. I wanted this to be a Christmas gift to you all.
Originally from Blackpool, Singer Songwriter Karima Francis burst onto the scene over a decade ago with her acclaimed debut album, “The Author“. Since then Karima has gone on to release a further two albums, perform with the likes of Paul Simon and Amy Winehouse and work with acclaimed producer Flood. Some four years on since her last album, 2016’s Black, Karima has been inspired by a somewhat different coastal city, Los Angeles, where she worked with Tim Carr on a series of recording sessions. This week Karima has shared the latest offering from those sessions, in the shape of new single, “Carelessness Causes Fire”.
Like much of Karima’s latest material, the track seems to deal with the difficulties of pressure and expectation, as she explains, “when the pressure is too much an explosive eruption can happen, which can be dangerous and destructive“. The track seems to take aim at the industry that put so much expectation on her and offered so little support to go with it, “in the smoke of the industry, I’m building a home around all my dreams”. Musically, the track pairs Karima’s distinctive husky vocals, to a lush, wide-screen backing that wouldn’t sound out of place in the back catalogue of Horse Thief or The War On Drugs. This feels like something of a redemption for Karima, a songwriter who has seen both sides of life as a musician, and now is coming out the other side with her best material to date.
“Songlife 1967-72″ is a 6 LP deluxe boxset containing all 5 of Nirvana‘s pioneering studio albums, alongside the never before released 1972 recording “Secrets”. Limited to 1,000 copies worldwide, the set contains The Story Of Simon Simopath (1967), All Of Us (1968), Dedicated To Markos III (aka Black Flower) (1969), Local Anaesthetic (1971), Songs Of Love And Praise (1972), and Secrets(1972). –
Nirvana were essentially the duo of Irishman Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Greek Alex Spyropoulos – who, following a chance meeting in London during the summer of 1966, took a long, strange trip together. Songlife represents the first time the band’s recorded output has ever been collated together on one release and is an engrossing body of work to explore. These albums sit comfortably with some of the other great works of the time (the Zombies, The Kinks and the Pretty Things included). And whilst Nirvana are most famous for their British psychedelic classic “Rainbow Chaser”, as the music contained here displays, there was so much more to them than just that celebrated single, for they reached far and wide into the musical stratosphere with a technicolour vision.
Four of the original albums have been remastered from their original ¼ inch tapes and the box itself comes with a 52-page booklet featuring liner notes from renowned author Peter Doggett, interviews with Patrick and Alex from Nirvana, full discography, rare newspaper clippings, previously unseen photos, posters and sleeves, and an exclusive Gered Mankowitz print signed individually by the band. Of key interest to fans will be the ‘Secrets’ album which was only recently unearthed in its entirety, its origins began as a musical score that Nirvana had planned on bringing to London’s Theatres and stages in the early Seventies.
Nirvana’s story remains a wonderful tale of artistic ambition and entwined within it lies a roll call of supporting cast heroes that includes The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Chris Blackwell, Salvador Dali, Francoise Hardy, Tony Visconti, and many more. The enduring beauty of Nirvana is, that over 5 decades since their paths crossed, Patrick and Alex remain good friends to this day with both of them residing in Greece. Says Patrick Campbell-Lyons, “Now, as young elderly men, I can say with pride and joy that our friendship is as strong as it was fifty years ago. We see each other often, here in Athens, and respect each other’s creative space. And once in a while we write and record a new song together. Those moments are special, like our friendship.”
Includes • All albums remastered for this release• 52 page 12” x 12” book with extensive liner notes, interviews, discography and ephemera• Stunning never before seen Gered Mankowitz photo session• Individually signed print by Alex Spyropoulos and Patrick Campbell-Lyons ——–
Golden Ones are a high energy rock n’ roll band with driving guitars, powerful vocals, melodic bass lines and a glam sensibility. Weaving a plethora of influences into their sound, you can hear dashes of classic rock, 70’s glam, 80’s/90’s alternative and a bit of 2000’s emo in their debut album, “Nowhere Fast.” Recommended if you like: Pat Benatar, T-Rex, Palaye Royale, Cherry Glazerr, White Reaper, Meg Meyers,
Golden Ones aren’t mainstays on those legendary stages yet, but don’t be surprised when they are.
Based out of Tulsa, OK, Golden Ones are a throwback to the days of sweat equity rock and roll. Oozing that 1970’s rock & roll vibe, Golden Ones are made up of three parts: glitter, glam and rock & roll. Think Heart from the days of “Barracuda.” this foursome harkens back to those days so much their even name comes from David Bowie’s “Oh! You Pretty Things”
Led by powerhouse vocalist Sarah Frick, the band will unleash their first full length album “Nowhere Fast” on November 27th. Crunchy guitars, infectious melodies and disgustingly delicious slithery grooves, it’s all there. Sliding into the release on the heels of their most recent single “Larger Than Life,” Frick chatted about the tune, the album and where the songs come from. “There are too many to list, but I think the main influence for this song is T. Rex,” muses Frick. “We’re big fans of Marc Bolan and I wanted to write something that had a gritty 1970’s glam rock vibe. I really like the imagery in this song, I want the listener to be able to picture themselves in that Camaro, or in that 1970’s bedroom with a KISS poster on the wall, glitter on their fingers and platforms on.”
Recorded at Paradise Studio (Leon Russell’s old lake house studio) in Tia Juana, OK,
Porches, the one-man-band project of New York-based musician Aaron Maine, is back with new single “I Miss That”. On top of a galloping pop tune carried along by bright, taut snare hits and warbling synths, Maine laments in his signature honey-coated raspy vocals, “I couldn’t believe what I had / So I threw it away I was bad / Just thinking I like that, I like that, I like that / I miss that, I miss that, now I miss that.”
“I Miss That” follows the release of Porches’ fourth album, “Ricky Music”. It arrived in March of 2020, featuring contributions from Zsela and Dev Hynes, with production by Jacob Portrait. Bonus track “Rangerover” recently underwent the remix treatment, courtesy of Frank Ocean collaborator Vegyn,
A veritable buzz kid just a few years ago, Aaron Maine’s last two releases as Porches — including this year’s Ricky Music haven’t quite resonated as much with indie rock’s always fickle critics. I have no idea why; the noirish synth hooks and glassy guitars he’s always brandished are here in full, enthralling effect, including the trembly, Guided By Voices-inspired “PFB” (a 33-second ditty that repeats the mantra, “It’s looking pretty fucking dad,”) and the woozy “Hair,” which contains the priceless snippet, “I’m kinda pretty/kinda busted too.” The real capper on this album is “Rangerover,” an insanely catchy and immediate burst of vocally-altered energy.
Critical Praise for Ricky Music: “his strongest collection yet.” – VICE “jagged sonic shards that come together with the indeterminate logic of a dream…ephemeral and enigmatic” – Interview Magazine “perfect imperfections and occasionally jaw-dropping moments of emotional clarity” – The FADER “his most varied and far-reaching batch of songs so far” – Paste “his shortest album, but it also feels like his most urgent and expressive…the most compelling portrait of the artist yet” – Office Magazine “the most ‘Porches’ record to date — an amalgamation of all of his previous releases that plays to his strengths” – i-D “the sound of strong emotions mediated by stronger technology, a very pure reflection of the world in which we live.” – AV Club
Porches – “I Miss That”, out now on Domino Record Co.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its release, Tame Impala present a deluxe, 4LP reissue of the debut album “InnerSpeaker” Recorded in 2009 in Western Australia, InnerSpeaker was Kevin Parker’s first full length missive and an explosive invitation into what would become his inimitable psych-tinged world.
This past May marked 10 years since the release of Tame Impala’s debut full-length Innerspeaker, and Kevin Parker has now shared plans to celebrate with a new expanded box set. Diehards will get excited at the inclusion of a previously unreleased ‘Wave House Live Jam’ – as in the studio property in WA where InnerSpeaker was made, and that Parker purchased recently.
Innerspeakerwill be reissued as a 4-LP box set in March 2021. The new package collects the original album alongside a newly unearthed side-long jam, instrumentals, song sketches, new “2020 mixes” of songs “Alter Ego” and “Runway, Houses, City, Clouds,” and a deluxe 40-page book.
This expanded deluxe edition of the album features the singles ‘Solitude Is Bliss’, ‘Lucidity’, ‘Expectation’ amongst the original album track list, plus: collage of album sketches, An unearthed, side-long jam New mixes of tracks off the original album Instrumentals deluxe 40-page booklet. The expanded deluxe edition of the album, will include new mixes of the tracks ‘Alter Ego’ and ‘Runway, Houses, City, Clouds’ as well as instrumentals, demos, and a previously unreleased side-long recording called ‘Wave House Live Jam’.
Parker also posted an alternative cover of the LP, and how it brought back “emotional” memories for him.
He said at the time: “My first album is 10 years old today. This version of the cover was 1 version out from the final, but i found it the other day for the first time since 2010 and it makes me very emotional to just look at because it reminds me of what I was going through about a week out from finishing and signing off on the whole album, which scared the shit out of me and at the time seemed like an insurmountable task.”
Peering into the telescoped treetops and dreamy skies on the album art for Tame Impala’s debut album Innerspeaker feels like slipping into a vortex of endless light, deviating perception and wonder, all before you’ve even heard a sound.
There’s a brief burst of static on opener ‘It Is Not Meant To Be’, which quickly leads to a coiling guitar and ruminating bass riff. It simulates that jolt of excitement (in a previous generation), when you found the right frequency to your favourite radio station, or clear reception to your favourite television channel.
It was like cracking a code and unlocking a hidden doorway to adventure and discovery. Innerspeaker is Kevin Parker‘s technicolour broadcast of the richness and complexity of his emotional landscapes, a place where words are secondary to the evocative nature of sound. In many cases, words themselves are an adjunct to the texture, rhythm, and solidity of the sounds. At other times, they fail our protagonist outright in his attempts at expressing his young heart’s desires.
InnerSpeaker won the 2010 J Award for Australian Album of the Year – we praised it as a “spiralling, trippy adventure” at the time. And just a few months back, the album came #3 in Double J’s list of the 50 Best Australian Debut Albums. hailed as a “timeless album that still hits like a mind-melting sonic adventure from another era.”
‘Why Don’t You Make Up Your Mind?’, with its reverberant, panning guitars evoke intensely bashful pangs of lust. You can’t help but blush listening to it at the risk of being caught eavesdropping on such a tender experience.
But Parker wants to let us in. We’re invited to an existential quandary on ‘Desire Be, Desire Go’ and ‘Alter Ego’. The energetic thrust is insistent, and forwards focused, intent on propelling him out of his statis and self-doubt, contrasted by the drift of his airy and detached voice.
There’s a similar push and pull, of an internal tug of war in ‘Expectation’, and ‘Lucidity’ feels like a euphoric tumble between oscillating states of clarity and a beautiful daze.
If there’s one song that sums up thematically the core of this album and the operational foundations of Kevin Parker, it’s ‘Solitude is Bliss’. With words like ‘there’s a party in my head and no one is invited’, it’s clear he is very much at home in his own company. Yet he understands he is perhaps more a case of society’s exception rather than rule.
Solitude is Bliss’ video shows a distressed and unstable individual going against the flow of society, out of place, out of touch with himself in decaying and derelict surroundings. The impact of solitude and isolation have been on our minds a lot this year yet Innerspeaker reminds us of the fortifying and fulfilling possibilities that await within our inner realms.
From his private universe, Parker has laid out an intriguing internal roadmap. It’s one that we can follow, or maybe veer off on our own adventures of self discovery. Whatever the case may be, its testament that solitude can indeed be a beautifully rewarding and strangely unifying kind of bliss.
/SMABX1175Nirvana(UK)MOCKUP.jpg)
