Album review: Mia Dyson’s Tender Heart and six-string shapes ondisplay
The eclecticism on her seventh album is evidence of how far this expat Australian has come as a singer, songwriter and guitarist since her 2003 debut.
Album reviews for week of March 1 2024:
COUNTRY/SOUL
Tender Heart
Mia Dyson
Independent/MGM
It’s not every artist who survives a near-death experience while preparing to record a new album, but it happened to Australian expat singer and guitarist Mia Dyson. In the wake of an earthquake that struck her adopted hometown of Los Angeles in late 2020, Dyson’s heart stopped during a severe panic attack. Her husband and songwriting partner, Karl Linder, was able to revive Dyson and rush her to hospital, where she was diagnosed with an arrhythmia and had a defibrillator implanted. There’s a song on Tender Heart called Thank You, which Dyson had written long before the incident. A clear premonition, its chorus lyric could have been her last words to Linder: “Thank you, I love you, forgive me, I forgive you.” From this, you’d form the impression that Tender Heart, her seventh studio album of original songs, is a bleak and sombre affair. Far from it: intimate and confessional, sure, but never self-pitying or indulgent, unless you cite opener Dare and its key line: “Death inside of me has always been waiting”. It’s more defiant than maudlin, sung in Dyson’s customary aching rasp over a mid-tempo country rock stride with two guitars exchanging twang and steel (producer Scott Hirsch augments Dyson’s dominant six-string shapes).
Hints of kd lang on the piano-led Ragged Friend segue into the similarly soulful Dragging Me Down, recalling early Bonnie Raitt as Dyson questions her self-belief (“I can’t trust my own hand”). Golden Light is a languid country waltz, with a string section kicking in on the second chorus, while the sensual Sunny Hills reverts to Dyson’s original stock-in-trade, rootsy rock ’n’ roll, wherein the sob and catch in her voice adds a rockabilly edge. Such eclecticism is evidence of how far Dyson has come as a songwriter since her 2003 debut. The unifying thread on Tender Heart is a new-found subtlety and grace echoed by her low-key band: Syd Sidney (drums), Daniel Wright (bass/vocals), Lee Pardini (keys) and the aforementioned Hirsch. On occasion, Dyson’s lyrics verge on stand-alone poetry: “Come to me in splinters / We’ll build ourselves a tree / To shade us both in summer / And drink sunlight through our leaves” (Come To Me). The closing Worship strips it all back to just Dyson’s gossamer voice and acoustic guitar, in a simple hymn of thanks for being alive: “The darkness won’t be leaving me lonely / I have every moment to connect.”
Phil Stafford
FOLK/POP
The Pendulum Swing
Katherine Priddy
Cooking Vinyl
The pendulum continues to swing for Katherine Priddy, a progressive artist who’s seemingly poised to inherit the mantle of British folk-pop princess-hood, previously bestowed upon the likes of Laura Marling, Kate Rusby and Eliza Carthy. The Birmingham-based singer-songwriter – still in her 20s – takes another step forward with her follow-up to 2021’s promising The Eternal Rocks Beneath album. While displaying growing maturity as musician and poet, Priddy continues with a generally laid-back approach, drawing listeners into her intimate songs with a combination of bewitching voice and deft guitar finger-picking as she explores themes of home and family, love and memories. The set’s more up-tempo numbers are beefed up with mariachi trumpet and colliery brass accompaniment. A female-male harmony duet has echoes of 1960s’ Everly Brothers. Several of the more introspective numbers show traces of 1970s’ Nick Drake and John Martyn. Priddy’s penchant for evocative poetry is reflected in the opening line of the album’s first single release: “There is a house on a hill / One little corner where time has stood still.”
Tony Hillier
EXPERIMENTAL
Scope Neglect
Ben Frost
Mute
On his first album in seven years, Ben Frost explores space and repetition in starkly different ways. Enlisting the aid of Car Bomb guitarist Greg Kubacki and My Disco bassist Liam Andrews, the Iceland-based Australian composer creates something like minimalist metal – at least on the record’s first half. Scope Neglect opens with abrasive jags buffered by several seconds of silence. As the album continues, subtle synths and other ambient touches gradually begin to play against the corroded rock signifiers, resulting in slow-burn instrumentals that morph in real time. By the point of centrepiece Turning the Prism, vaporous synths and fleeting warbles of programmed melody have begun to wrestle the focus from the waning stabs of noise. Things only grow quieter and more nuanced from there, with closer Unreal in the Eyes of the Dead manifesting as an eerie, wavering pulse that’s a world away from how the album began. On paper that may sound straightforward enough, but Frost’s textural gifts continually draw us into a state of stunned immersion.
Doug Wallen
JAZZ
Lattices
Jordan Tarento
Earshift Music
I loved this album from the first note, and heard it throughout as if in a reverie. Eight compositions from bassist Jordan Tarento in well-known eight-feel time signatures are melodic and unpretentious, and are played with finesse and brilliance by an excellent Melbourne sextet: Darryn Farrugia (drums), Darrin Archer (keyboards), Hugh Stuckey and Harry Tinney (guitars), plus the musician most responsible for the music’s interlocking patterns and rhythmic textures, which give the album its unusually innovative sound: Zela Papageorgiou (marimba, glockenspiel, percussion). Cellist Nils Hobiger enhances the album’s appeal on one track. The musicians steam faultlessly through the ambiguous time-feels and rhythmic minefields found in this genre, and bring to life the contents of Tarento’s musical mind where apparently his ideas have been germinating for several years, leading to this impressive debut album. Tarento plays both electric and double bass beautifully on this album, which is warmly recommended. Compared to some of the more avant-garde albums which come my way for review, I found Lattices a breath of fresh air.
Eric Myers
POP/R&B
This is Me … Now
Jennifer Lopez
Nuyorican/BMG
Remember Bennifer? They’re back – in album form! To celebrate her reunion and marriage to Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez has released what’s being billed as the “spiritual successor” to 2002’s This is Me … Then – released just as the pair were becoming Hollywood’s hottest couple. It’s a curious angle for a 2024 comeback: the pop singer-songwriter is essentially attempting to rekindle an early 2000s nostalgia, back when Lopez was better known as Jenny From the Block. Even more curiously, however, a sizeable portion of it works: brassy lead single Can’t Get Enough is her best release in nearly two decades, while the understated, fluttering romance of penultimate track Midnight Trip to Vegas gives a curious spin to a sample of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game. Admittedly, the album’s single-minded thematic structure proves to be a house of cards: by the time Lopez is onto her umpteenth assurance of how things will be different in their second chance at love, you’re absolutely exhausted by the premise. Still, whether it’s Then or Now, there’s a certain sweetness and charm to Lopez’s millennium-turn pop that keeps fans repeatedly coming back.
David James Young
Album reviews for week of February 23 2024:
INDIE POP
Pratts & Pain
Royel Otis
Ourness
Royel Otis may have only been releasing music since 2021, but the Sydney duo has already released a steady flow of earworms perfectly suited to streaming algorithms and festival slots. And thus 2022’s Oysters in My Pocket has racked up 40 million streams on Spotify alone, and the pair has followed suit by playing at both Reading and Splendour in the Grass. Named for members Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, Royel Otis immediately struck a chord by chasing the feel-good effervescence of 2000s indie pop: think The Drums, Mystery Jets and Phoenix. The band’s naggingly catchy tunes centred squarely on Pavlovic’s reverbed vocals and the pair’s dual guitar strumming, with lyrics that set the scene in just a vague enough way to entice the ear. But the whole point was the instant gratification of ready-made hooks and non-stop propulsion. This debut album attempts to deepen the formula and stick around a bit longer, too. Adored opens the record with that familiar rubbery snap, but it fleshes out a fuller, more dream-pop sound, thanks in part to producer Dan Carey (Wet Leg). You can hear Pavlovic and Maddell introducing little twists and peripheral sounds with a youthful sense of curiosity, including an unexpected outro.
From there, several songs flirt with more pronounced synths and rhythmic elements; Fried Rice even opens with the stuttered fake-out of a remix, only to lapse quickly into everything that Royel Otis does best. More instructive of the pair’s future is when and how they choose to depart from these relatively easy wins. Velvet is rougher and more enamoured of 1960s psych rock, while its more openly abstract lyrics (“My baby eats me like a cheese / My baby believes”) echo the playful nonchalance of Pavement. Molly is even more of a surprise, evoking The Velvet Underground’s Venus in Furs with its slow, droning churn. The rough-hewed closer Big Ciggie further musses things up, while Sofa King – a track borrowed from a recent EP release – contrasts a wan trip-hop vibe with a more straightforward chorus than usual: “You’re so f..king gorgeous”. The pieces are all there, and the band’s early success has been impressive to behold, especially considering that Pavlovic and Maddell are barely into their 20s. There remains a sense here of cherrypicking from the past rather than fashioning something truly new, but that’s how most bands find their true sense of self in time, and it’s still very much early days for Royel Otis.
Doug Wallen
AMERICANA
Chains & Stakes
The Dead South
Six Shooter Records
This quartet is one of Canada’s most popular acoustic bands, as two Juno Awards (the equivalent of our ARIAs) attest, and it has a healthy and growing fan base in Australia, judging by advance ticket sales of its March/April theatre tour dates. The Dead South’s appeal is readily understandable on listening to its fourth album. Imagine, if you can, Hayseed Dixie jamming with Dropkick Murphys, Mumford & Sons and Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks down a dark alleyway. Inventive arrangements of startlingly original Americana styling combined with bravado mandolin, banjo and guitar playing are at the core of its allure, along with twisted tales of ghosts, spiked drinks, love, loss and deception. Breakneck bluegrass alternates with folk balladry in mid-set standouts A Little Devil and Son of Ambrose, and in The Cured Contessa, a droll ditty extolling the virtues of bacon. Short and serene solo instrumental tracks showcasing cello, guitar and banjo are windbreaks to high-octane free-for-alls such as 20 Mile Jump, featuring the band’s fleet-fingered players in full flight. There’s nary a dull moment in Chains & Stakes.
Tony Hillier
REGGAE/POP/ROCK
L.A.B. VI
L.A.B.
Loop
If you want proof of the consistency of this Kiwi group, the clue is in the title: on its sixth outing, the Whakatane five-piece again delivers on its MO of funky, bluesy reggae, best enjoyed with jandals and L&P in hand. L.A.B does push beyond the boundaries of its reggae roots across this record, however; Follow sounds like a decent Stevie Wonder B-Side, while the closing number Trying To Catch Me takes an unexpectedly sombre, folksy turn. However, it’s the feel-good reggae-pop of Mr Rave Rider and Oh No where L.A.B. shines the most, with Ara Adams-Tamatea (formerly of Katchafire) winning the man of the match award for his funky, liquid basslines. Admittedly L.A.B VI doesn’t boast another In The Air – the band’s 2020 summery pop single that remained on the New Zealand charts for a record 73 weeks – but nor does it attempt to recreate that lightning-in-a-bottle moment. Rather, L.A.B. plays to its strengths, keeps things simple and breezy, and successfully makes it six from six.
Alasdair Belling
FOLK/PUNK
Hole in My Head
Laura Jane Grace
Polyvinyl
A self-described “true trans soul rebel”, Laura Jane Grace is an iconoclast of modern American punk-rock and perhaps the most famous trans person in alternative music. However, 10 years on from the all-important Transgender Dysphoria Blues — her penultimate album fronting the Florida band Against Me! — Grace is largely interested in music that’s not weighed down by significance or heady topics. Her second solo album Hole In My Head kicks the door open with its Ramones blast of a title track and offers a variety of snapshots pertaining to Grace’s life, past and present, over the ensuing 25 minutes. The persistent strum of Dysphoria Hoodie tackles trans issues with wry humour, I’m Not A Cop is a hilarious anti-authoritarian Beach Boys pastiche, and Mercenary interpolates Cheap Trick into a striking moment of folk-rock tranquillity. It could be argued there’s not enough meat on the bone here — the longest track runs to 2 minutes and 38 seconds — and that some ideas offered up could have been explored further. A counterpoint, however, would be just how much fun Grace is having.
David James Young
JAZZ
Polymorphic
Maddison Carter
Earshift Music
This album has obvious seriousness of purpose, but was difficult to review. The music consists of short suites – some embedded in long compositions – which combine pre-prepared passages with the normal conventions of free improvisation. The Melbourne percussionist Maddison Carter explores here miscellaneous soundscapes which would be of interest to a percussionist, some of which are extremely powerful and appealing, whereas others lack many of the musical elements which make jazz interesting to most listeners. It’s difficult to characterise the music in a short review because those various soundscapes cover so many different instrumental combinations. “Polymorphism” apparently means “having multiple forms”. Carter is on drums, vibraphone, percussion, piano, Fender Rhodes and celeste. Others include Jessica Lindsay Smith (flute); Flora Carbo (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, & effects); Niran Dasika (trumpet, piccolo trumpet, synthesiser, & effects); Imogen Cygler (violin & effects); Isaac Gunnoo (double bass & electric bass). This album appears to underline the Earshift Music philosophy: this is how jazz will sound into the future.
Eric Myers
Album reviews for week of February 16 2024:
POP
Yours Forever
Jessica Mauboy
Warner Music Australia
One thing nobody can ever take away from Jessica Mauboy – the girl can, and always has been able to, sing. A natural charisma and confidence has always existed within Mauboy’s ability to project as a vocalist; her warm tones and her sunny personality have made her a national treasure. Musically, her journey as a solo artist has always felt like one of continued self-discovery. Growing up as a young woman and an artist in the spotlight, Mauboy’s artistry has sometimes felt like it has lacked substance. Her strength in the genres of pop and R&B has always been there, as has the voice — but in some ways it felt like 2019’s Hilda was the first sense of pure rejuvenation. It was a definitive, impressive stride forward into a new era for one of the nation’s biggest pop stars. The critical acclaim that she earned with Hilda repositioned Mauboy as a songwriter who knew the power of words: a potent reminder of her talents as a musician of natural talent. It is what makes her follow-up, Yours Forever, such an intriguing record to dive into. Her fifth album is another step up and out into a light that Mauboy has been reclaiming as her own.
Now 34, it’s her first full-length release since departing long-time record label Sony in 2020, and its lyrics reflect Mauboy’s state of self-discovery, while the music feels fresh and spirited. Working with collaborators including Nick Littlemore (PNAU) and Shungudzo Kuyimba has added extra texture to her sound, allowing Mauboy to follow more creative threads. Moments of self-empowerment (Never Giving Up, Tell Em) fuse with moments of introspection and self-actualisation (Forget You, Flashback). A collaboration with ARIA-winning R&B artist and Woorabinda woman Miiesha, titled Little Too Late, is an easy album highlight: a pure example of vocal artistry from both performers that will undoubtedly bring more audiences to Miiesha’s growing catalogue. Early single Give You Love, featuring US artist Jason Derulo, feels the most derivative of this 14-track release; musically speaking, it offers a booming gospel moment that definitely uplifts, but feels like slight weaker when compared to other songs (Underwater, The Loneliest I Ever Was) that feel more intimate and nuanced. Yours Forever is an album that lets us in on vignettes of adulthood explored by an artist whose approach to music has always been heart-led, first and foremost. Musically, it doesn’t reinvent the sound with which Mauboy is synonymous, but the storytelling that drives these songs is what should grab attention and prompt the listener to cast their minds forward to new creative horizons.
Sosefina Fuamoli
ALTERNATIVE
What Now
Brittany Howard
Island
What Now is not just the name of Brittany Howard’s second solo album, it’s also a very valid question. Having fully emerged from the blues-rock shadow of former band Alabama Shakes, the soulful US singer-songwriter concocted one of 2019’s best albums with her Grammy-nominated debut Jaime. Aside from showcasing her remarkable heart-on-sleeve vocals, the album proved to be versatile and eclectic – ranging from funk and rock to psychedelia, hip-hop, jazz and back around. So, again: what now? The album’s brassy title track offers a solid answer, getting into a deep-pocketed groove with just the right amount of sass. Prove It To You gives a completely unexpected response, taking Howard to the club for her first proper stab at house music. Samson, its smash-cut follow-up, lets what’s left unspoken do the talking instead in a pensive moment of lo-fi repose. With no interest in being pinned down or stereotyped artistically, Howard’s exploratory nature is seemingly going to keep this idiosyncratic performer in a constant state of reinvention herein. Don’t ask What Now; ask what next.
David James Young
ALTERNATIVE POP
Faith Crisis Pt 1
Middle Kids
EMI
“I’m one bend away from a break,” Middle Kids’ singer, chief songwriter and guitarist/pianist Hannah Joy sings on Bend, a song central to the Sydney trio’s third album. “Maybe you gotta break me to see what I’m made of.” The tension Joy identifies stems back to a pandemic-induced period of writer’s block that coincided with her and partner/bandmate Tim Fitz (bass) becoming first-time parents. Then the creative floodgates opened. Faith Crisis Pt 1 is self-assured alt-pop all the way, closing on an understated duet with Gang of Youths’ Dave Le’aupepe, All In My Head. Elsewhere, Middle Kids specialises in big, anthemic choruses led by a singer whose pitch rarely wavers, with trace elements of The Cure, Cranberries and Cocteau Twins lingering as the band continues to forge its own identity. From the Suzanne Vega-ish wordiness of Dramamine to the shouty confessions of Terrible News, the album peaks early with The Blessings, which offers a glorious outpouring of regret, while the jazz sensibility of drummer Harry Day is a constant feature.
Phil Stafford
ELECTRONIC
Adult Contemporary
Chromeo
BMG
Across two decades, Canadian musicians David Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel have fashioned a sound anchored by squelchy synths, funk guitar, talkbox toplines, and playful, tongue-in-cheek lyricism. It’s a formula that saw the duo’s 2018 LP Head Over Heels earn a Grammy nomination, and one expanded to glorious, if somewhat predictable, effect on their sixth album. Positioned as “a meditation on modern, mature relationships”, Adult Contemporary sees the self-styled FunkLordz enlist New York househead Morgan Geist for mixing duties; the result is an assured, warm foray into synth-laden electronica with a throwback vibe. Moody first single Replacements is notable for the appearance of La Roux – the album’s sole guest – but it’s far from the strongest offering. Rather, grooves like the expansive, bass-heavy Personal Effects, the bumpy Coda and album opener (I Don’t Need A) New Girl impress with their sonic polish, and reinforce Chromeo’s songwriting chops via cheeky lines like “Lets talk about loyalty, instead of lawyer fees”. Regardless of its genre label, this is shiny, sophisticated, sincere – and danceable – music above all.
Tim McNamara
EXPERIMENTAL
Yirinda
Yirinda
Chapter Music
This debut album from songman Fred Leone and contrabassist/producer Samuel Pankhurst evokes some of the more out-there Indigenous/whitefella collaborations between the late, great Yolngu/Galiwin’ku singer Gurrumul and Michael Hohnen, and the Wagilak Gujarra/Nyilapidgi musicians of Arnhem Land with Paul Grabowsky. While the duo’s project is entirely praiseworthy — it showcases the ancient, endangered Butchulla language of southeast Queensland’s Fraser Coast region — some listeners may find the music beds employed here overwhelming and somewhat incongruous. Pankhurst’s busier experimental electronic soundscapes detract from Leone’s singing; the songman’s soft voice works best with quasi-classical underpinning in the relatively subdued opener Yuangan (Dugong) and with basic acoustic piano accompaniment in Dhangalim (Fly). Clapsticks assist in Njurunj (Emu) and Thurum Voi (Look There), while Ba Gi Lam (Fighting) is appropriately animated, unlike the partly spoken Guyu (Fish) and Yunma (Sleep), which feature some quite disturbing sound spikes. All in all, Yirinda is the antithesis of easy listening.
Tony Hillier