Dylan compile delivers the goods
A new 14-disc companion release contains five complete Dylan sets from the first leg of his storied Rolling Thunder tour.
FOLK/ROCK
The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings
Bob Dylan
Sony Legacy
Watching Renaldo and Clara for the first time, I was struck by the incredible performance footage and hoped it would see the light of day in a less incoherent context. That wish came true this week with the Sydney premiere of Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story and its release on Netflix. This 14-disc audio companion contains five complete Dylan sets from the first leg of his storied Rolling Thunder tour, when he persuaded a bunch of confederates — including Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Joni Mitchell — and an empathetic band to hit the road with him. They brought a big sound to small venues that often sold out on word of mouth. Those who made it to the shows witnessed a remarkable musical carnival, although the highlight was always Dylan himself, whether duetting with Baez on old favourites — their voices chime sublimely on Wild Mountain Thyme and The Water is Wide — soloing on tracks from his back pages (The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll is reinvented as a rock epic and there’s a hint of reggae in The Times They are a-Changin’) or showcasing story-songs from his forthcoming LP, Desire. He obviously was enjoying himself: here is a Dylan who introduces songs, banters with the audience and clearly enunciates every syllable. Blood on the Tracks, released early that year, barely gets a look-in, apart from Tangled Up in Blue (although there’s an enchanting version of Simple Twist of Fate on the rarities disc). Hurricane is a staple, as are Oh Sister, Romance in Durango, Isis and One More Cup of Coffee; on the last two in particular, Dylan’s delivery qualifies as a career highlight. Seldom again would he pour forth his soul with such full-throated ease. This is a veritable treasure trove for aficionados, not least on account of the three discs of rehearsals, although including at least one complete concert would have offered a more comprehensive reflection of the revue’s overall flavour, from opening acts through to a rambunctious all-star rendition of This Land is Your Land.
Mahir Ali
ELECTRONIC
Mesmerism
Paul Mac
Here To Hell
From the atmospheric swirl of the opening title track, Mesmerism signals a decisive break from Paul Mac’s dance-pop origins. It’s a world away from 2015’s underrated album Holiday From Me, and even further removed from Mac’s floor-filling electronic output as one half of Itch-E & Scratch-E. Inspired by his return to Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music — where he was classically trained in the 1980s — Mac is making music for himself. Unbound from the shackles of expectation, he’s left behind more structured dancefloor rhythms and vocal hooks, instead freely toying with sonic soundscapes that are at various times frenetic, soothing and haunting. First single Cataplexy is a beautifully layered foray into euphoric electronica bound by melody and soft, warm synth lines. Mesmerism is experimental, often challenging and, for the most part, incredibly immersive and rewarding.
Tim McNamara
INDIE ROCK
I Am Easy To Find
The National
4AD/Remote Control
The National singer Matt Berninger’s resonant, deep vocal always sounds intimately close, powerful and raw. On the eighth album by this US band, it’s to its credit that the quintet has combined influences as diverse as synth-pop, stoner 60s-esque guitars, gothic laments and string arrangements without losing the heart and integrity of its sound, although there’s also a touch of 90s indie-rock acts such as My Bloody Valentine and Radiohead. Brooklyn Youth Chorus adds drama and texture to Dust Swirls in Strange Light and Underwater, while Sharon Van Etten and Lisa Hannigan provide guest vocals. This album is oceanic in its width and power and beauty, and its ability to swallow and hold you far from shore for at least the 63 minutes it takes to find your way into and out of the rip tide of emotions summoned by Berninger’s prowess as a songwriter, lyricist and vocalist.
Cat Woods
FOLK
The Emerald Dream
Asleep at the Reel
Independent
The debut album from an artfully named Celtic-accented Brisbane band, The Emerald Dream eschews the customary Irish pub set list of trad faves in favour of originals. There are passing references to old chestnuts and musty folk catchphrases such as “up she rises” and “too-ra-ley”, along with fragments of familiar reels. Countering these, though, are pieces penned by songsmith-in-residence, vocalist/guitarist Mark Cryle, who is inspired by poets WB Yeats and John Donne. Prosaic and punchy, the Pogues-like Beating of the Drum is more confessional: “Some we write and some we steal / Polkas, waltzes, jigs and reels”. Paddy’s Day Again is catchy enough to become a March 17th perennial. A soul-inflected salve for harsh times, Sweet Rain of Mercy, a gypsy swing thing, and a funky Mark Knopfler-informed electric guitar groove counter the standard pentatonic stuff.
Tony Hillier
POST-PUNK
Wheeltappers and Shunters
Clinic
Domino
Clinic materialised at the turn of the millennium, brandishing bleary, leering songs that resembled fever dreams. On its first album in seven years, the cult Liverpool quartet employs the framing device of a garish throwback carnival, like some nightmarish cousin to the Kinks’ Village Green Preservation Society. Opener Laughing Cavalier establishes the pungent funhouse-mirror vibe with colour-bleeding melodies and mock laughter. Thankfully, that concept enhances rather than overshadows the songs, which buzz and lurch with giddy oddness. Several foundational touches from the band’s early days are heard here, from puttering drum machine and bristling guitar licks to eerie melodica and Ade Blackburn’s menacing whisper. Only one song reaches the three-minute mark, and while the album feels a little fleeting, it’s freewheeling enough to draw us immediately back in.
Doug Wallen
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