Album of the week: Get used to an even more Crowded House

Crowded House’s eighth studio album is also the sophomore effort for the current line-up. ALBUM OF THE WEEK

This week’s album review from The Courier-Mail (ratings out of five stars):

ROCK

Crowded House, Gravity Stairs

(BMG) ★★★

Crowded House’s eighth studio album is also the sophomore effort for the current line-up consisting of Neil Finn, his boy Elroy and other boy Liam, mainstay bassist Nick Seymour and super producer turned keyboardist Mitchell Froom. It’s more textured and nuanced than its predecessor Dreamers Are Waiting, with no immediately accessible earworms in the vein of To the Island or Sweet Tooth. But the slower growers often have more longevity. In keeping with the Beatlesque theme of the cover, it’s more atmospheric and experimental than your standard Crowded House fare, maybe more like a Neil Finn solo effort. That could be partly because the various members “phoned in” their parts from around the globe. Teenage Summer has shades of Simon and Garfunkel, while catchy The Howl is similarly rooted in breezy ’70s psych-rock. Oh Hi is a pleasing singalong ditty, while the doo-wop sway and flamenco strains of Some Greater Plan (For Claire), with guest spot by Tim Finn, is inspired by their father’s war diaries. Black Water, White Circle is another highlight, while the straight-up Blurry Grass and I Can’t Keep Up With You are reminiscent of the original line-up’s early years.

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ROCK

The Black Crowes, Happiness Bastards

(Silver Arrow) ★★★½

They visited Australia for the first time in 14 years in 2022, now they unleash their first original studio recording in 15. Whittled down to the svelte core of brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, with longtime bassist Sven Pipien joining them in the studio, The Black Crowes are also economical and essential on record, with a set that’s at once fresh and urgent yet steeped in their trademark sound. The pounding Bedside Manners begins proceedings in top gear, leading into Rats and Clowns with its killer AC/DC-esque instrumental break. Cross Your Fingers starts out as a stripped-down ballad in the vein of Nonfiction before erupting into a straight-up rocker. And She Held a Wilted Rose is the resident rootsy ballad, with harmonies from rising country star Lainey Wilson (no relation to Wilson Phillips). Single Waiting and Wanting is a high point and descendant of their 1998 album’s title track By Your Side, while poignant closing number Kindred Friend could be their Long and Winding Road.

COUNTRY

The Whitlams Black Stump, Kookaburra

(E.G. Records) ★★★½

Paul Kelly might be a modern poet laureate, but Tim Freedman isn’t far behind, such is his flair for encapsulating the Australian experience. Now we get to hear how close, like Kelly, Freedman is to country as well. Teaming up with members of Black Stump, the sole remaining Whitlam gives his classic tracks a country makeover. And for the most part the transition is seamless. The album opens in suitably twangy style with Man About a Dog, before it’s straight into a banjo-and-other-strings-driven rendition of No Aphrodisiac. That other big hit, Blow Up the Pokies, is stripped back and slower but otherwise recognisable. Meanwhile the sexual frustration of You Sound Like Louis Burdett veers closer to the middle of the road. There’s the desolate twang of There’s No One, and Nobody But You gets jazzy with piano and brush drums. Freedman also takes the opportunity to showcase a new track, the stirring symphony Fallen Leaves. Your Boyfriend’s Back in Town is country-esque in a Paul Kelly way, and if the cover looks to have been done by the same artist as Paul Kelly and Neil Finn’s collaboration Goin’ Your Way.

DANCE

ShockOne, Organism Algorithm

(Dark Machine) ★★★

In a world where humanity is in a tug-of-war with machines of its own making, ShockOne’s (aka Karl Thomas) latest long-player couldn’t be more relevant. What may sound on the surface to be an assortment of dancefloor bangers also explores the uneasy relationship between human and artificial intelligence. Affirmational opener Alone segues seamlessly into the meditative (but no less pulsating) Open Your Mind: “Look for the centre of consciousness.” But it’s the tracks featuring guest artists that are the biggest earworms, including Ready to Go (Bright Sparks), Higher Rush (Freaks & Geeks) and Thinkin About (Lee Mvtthews). Then there’s the trancelike Hey Boy Hey Girl, while Follow Me is closely related to the album title as it portends our brave new world, from VR and AI to social media: “Surrender your soul, submit, obey.”

ROCK

Ace Frehley, 10,000 Volts

(MNRK) ★★★

With mixed reviews of his recent live shows, the original Spaceman should perhaps take a cue from his former KISS bandmates and hang up the touring boots. But Ace Frehley’s new solo record shows that in the more forgiving studio environment he can still deliver the goods. especially with producer Steve Brown at the helm. There’s the sway and swagger of Walking on the Moon, while Cosmic Heart is a towering epic in the vein of past solo song Genghis Khan and even KISS classic She. Constantly Cute is the resident earworm, while Cherry Medicine is similarly melodic. Frehley laments “technology without empathy” on Blinded – “Zeroes and ones got us by the balls” – and wants to believe in extraterrestrials in Up in the Sky. Fighting For Life harks back to his early days on the streets, a la Hard Times, – with a striking guitar solo. Back in My Arms Again and Life of a Stranger are the resident love ballads, and in the tradition of previous closing tracks such as Fractured Quantum, Stratosphere is an instrumental with a dreamlike quality that would do Joe Satriani proud. Yes, Frehley is still clinging on to the space shtick. While not as vital as Anomaly or Space Invader, 10,000 Volts is nonetheless a solid entry to his discography.

ELECTRONIC

Various Artists, Solidarity Soundwaves

(4000 Records) ★★★

Gaza is already hell on Earth, and the siege of Rafah is set to make it even worse. Now dozens of South East Queensland artists have banded together in support of the hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hamas war. It could be called Solidarity Soundscapes, as it’s a mainly ambient affair. Opening with the haunting cacophony of M.J. O’Neill’s Sirens, the album runs the gamut from pure ambience (fhae, Spirit Lights, Bcharre) to pure noise (evieeeeeee). Seja channels the ’80s, from Van Halen-esque keyboard opening to the chunkier synth throughout, while Shugorei has a more clattering industrial edge. Then there’s the symphonic strains of Cloud Tangle and the funky I.am.chica. With proceeds going to Medical Aid For Palestinians, not only does it support a very worthy cause but it’s a ready reckoner to a southeast music scene that wouldn’t normally get wider exposure.

PUNK

The Chisel, What a F---ing Nightmare

(Pure Noise) ★★★½

Not to be confused with Australia’s own “Chisel”, but in the same vein as Queensland’s own The Chats, The Chisel are something of a supergroup, composed of members of London punk bands Violent Reaction, Arms Race and Chubby and the Gang. And they channel the late ’70s/early ’80s heyday of UK punk, also known as oi punk. In that spirit their sophomore album is brief, to the point and in your face, the 16 tracks clocking in at just 36 minutes. Lead ranter Cal Graham maintains the rage as the band hurtle along at 100km/h. Unsurprising it’s replete with profanities (the opening title track and F--- ’Em in particular) But it’s not all noise, as heard in the melodies of Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet and Living For Myself, harmonies of Those Days, and both of Cry Your Eyes Out. Closing track What I See harks back to the glory days of punk as it takes aim at the ruling elite and media misinformation.

POP

The Last Dinner Party, Prelude to Ecstasy

(Island) ★★★

Their major label is banking on this UK all-female/non-binary quintet to be the next big thing, comparing them to Kate Bush, David Bowie and Queen. And while the music itself isn’t that revolutionary – unsurprising in this era when everything’s been done – they do have the theatrical flourishes and vocal stylings of the aforementioned acts. We might add ABBA and The Go-Gos to that list. Aside from the dramatic yet self-indulgent symphonic intro, and maybe-a-little-too-polished production courtesy of Arctic Monkeys knob-twiddler James Ford, they manage to maintain the energy and attitude that made their name on London’s live circuit. Previously released anthemic singles Nothing Matters and Sinner remain the standouts, but there’s more to discover, such as The Feminine Urge, Beautiful Boy and the empowering two-speed Caesar on a TV Screen: “When I put on that suit, I don’t have to stay mute.” Gjuha, an ode to keyboardist Aurora Nishevci’s Albanian heritage, features heavenly harmonies and stirring organs. “Give me the strength,” they chant as Portrait of a Dead Girl builds to a crescendo, while the album closes with the funereal march of Mirror. We doubt this will be their last supper.

METAL

Caligula’s Horse, Charcoal Grace

(InsideOut) ★★★★

A flute on a metal album? Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, as this is Brisbane’s Caligula’s Horse, who put the progressive in progressive metal and whose frontman Jim Grey is classically trained. As its title implies, Charcoal Grace is an album of contrasts, oscillating between despair and hope, full-on metal mayhem and quiet(er) reflection. The four horsemen of the apocalypse have emerged from our recent pestilence grim yet determined. They may have taken longer to birth their post-pandemic opus than other acts, but on first impression they’ve made it worth the wait. Opener The World Breathes With Me segues from ambient instrumentation to full-throttle technicality, its staccato machinegun percussion and Sam Vallen’s epic guitar overlaid with Grey’s urgent vocals, a shape of things to come. At the album’s heart lies the titular four-part suite, including the whispered incantations of Prey and acoustic interlude Vigil. Sails is as harmonic and melodic as it gets, then there’s the plaintive flute of closing track Mute. And each number gives Grey’s impressive vocal range a chance to shine. The nine-strong tracklist belies the album’s hour-plus runtime, with sprawling, expansive soundscapes befitting such a technical metal outfit. There’s too much going on here to digest in short order, but it’s an album that promises to reveal itself in time to the ardent listener.

Originally published as Album of the week: Get used to an even more Crowded House