Old Man River - Trust

YOURZ

Phew, after the hard-as rush of Mastodon yesterday, Old Man River is like stepping outside a packed, hot, sweaty venue into the air of a cool summer evening. 

Yet another associate of one of our favourites, Luke Steele, Old Man River is the stage and band name for Ohad Rein, a Sydney-based musician who first came to our attention through his association with Nations By The River, who we've previously reviewed here. 

Crossing the line between pop and alt-country, Old Man River aren't trying to rewrite the popular music songbook.  Instead, they're bringing a sensitivity and timelessness to what is often times a tired genre.  It helps that Rein has a effortlessly pleasing voice and the ability to write tracks that stick in this listener's head for days. 

And thanks to some quick thinking by Mine, it looks as though we'll be seeing him live later in the month.  What a lovely way to start what looks to be a very busy few months for us on the live music front. (Mine says: always the way in the southern hemisphere summer, but who's complaining? Gorillaz here we come!!!)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Another in our seemingly-endless selection of "beautiful music" - which has prompted me to create a playlist for the iPod.  Sleepy Jackson, M Ward, Nations By The River, Elliot Smith, Martin Craft - who else?  I could go for days just listening to one gorgeous, dreamy pop song after another.  My life would float by in a haze of roses and light.  Soma for the ears.

I wonder how long I'd last before the need for some serious dirty rock emerged.  And will this output sometime in the future make its way on to a "beautiful music" radio station?  Does this mean I'm listening to the equivalent of Simon and Garfunkel?  (YourZ sez: no, this is better in so many ways)  Do I know what I'm talking about?

Whatever I mean, I'm glad we have this CD.  Long live dreamy pop.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://trustomr.com/

Martin Craft - Silver And Fire

MINE

I had an amazing moment listening to Siver and Fire.  Firstly there was annoyance - at the thought I hadn't heard it before.  You see, YourZ often tells me he's bought a CD I'd like, and I nod, and then I never listen to it.  That's been the best part of this whole process, you know - moments like this.  Because now I'm in love with Martin Craft.

OK, then secondly there was joy at listening to the most beautiful music, amply highlighted by the most poetic lyrics.  How about When the planet spins, it sings like the wings of a dragonfly.  And All he ever cried for you was a teardrop tattoo.

Thirdly my damn producer head then started analysing the sound and finding little tiny bits of fault with some of the drum tracks and wanted to make them warmer and tighter, less flat and dull.  And wondering if Martin really wanted the sound like that, and then berating myself for doing this instead of just enjoying the songs as they came out.  And then finally I contemplated going for an extra long drive to hear it again, all the way through.

It's all beautiful, all of it.  I can't name a favourite song, but my mouth did fall open a bit in amazement at Snowbird.  Starts out spare and builds and builds - before fading away.  Orchestral and epic, and like the rest of the album, unforgettable.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I got Silver And Fire initially out of a sense of alliegance to Martin Craft being as he is an old friend who has 'made good', whatever that means.  I've already related how I met him in the Sidewinder review we did recently (see it here if you're interested).  There was always a small chance it might have been crap but I was prepared to take a risk.  Thankfully, crap is the one thing this isn't.

This is real beauty in music form.  No, seriously...  It is more than just the songs, the playing, the lyrics or Martin's voice.  But it is a combination of all these things and more.  From the opening title track, which slowly builds around a beautiful acoustic guitar, he has built a record that may very well be viewed in years to come with the same reverence as we view Nick Drake or Elliott Smith now.  There is a confidence in both the songwriting and execution similar to both artists without Craft sacrificing any of his own style.

You Are The Music has a cheeky groove to it that becomes more and more irresitable with each listen, while Lucile (Where Did The Love Go) displays a great updated retelling of classic rock, all while maintaining a restraint not often found in a lot of music these days.  Dragonfly, another slow builder, is superbly understated, something Craft seems to excel in achieving.  There is so much more to like about Silver And Fire, but I think I will leave it up to you, dear readers, to find this out for yourselves.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/mcraftmusic

Josh Pyke - Memories & Dust

MINE

Yet another of the "troubador" lads that line our collection, Josh Pyke stands out to me because of his unashamed Australian accent.  There are many people who jump up and down in this country about hip-hop artists if they rap with US accents, but nobody seems to give a damn about singers.  And yet here's Mr Pyke, flattening his vowels with the best of them.

Apart from that I think he's got a lot to offer.  The melodies soar and swoop, he's got a nice line in romantic imagery beyond the trite moon-and-June stuff, and his voice can hold its own with any of the other man-and-his-guitar (plus some additional orchestration) albums we own.

I haven't listened to this a lot before - and I'll have to remember it for some kitchen music, as it forms a thoughtful background for mindless tasks like chopping and stirring.  Nice.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I first remember seeing Josh Pyke out front of his band, An Empty Flight, when they supported Sick Puppies at a small local Sydney venue.  Although I was more interested in the headliners, I was suitably impressed by Pyke's smart and sharp indie rock.  This was in the early 00s.  (Mine says: and one of our fist dates, as I recall!)  Since then, both the Puppies and Mr Pyke have seen their respective careers bloom.

But his solo work is very removed from his band.  Instead of taking a further step down the math-rock road, Pyke stripped himself back to reveal the bare, beautiful bones of his song writing.  After first gaining exposure with the single, Kids Don't Sell Their Hopes So Fast and its accompanying EP, he followed up with a number of EPs before releasing Memories & Dust.   As a début, it deserves to be hailed as a classic, not only for the strength of the songs but also for the sheer weight of his talent.  Boy, can this man sing and play.

Unfortunately, this is another of those discs we've added to the collection at some point then promptly forgot about.  This is not indicative of a bad record, more of a bad memory (on my part).  But I can't help but listen to this and get a hankering for Elliot Smith.  The similarities between the two artists are striking.  This isn't a good or a bad thing, but its there for all to hear.  Maybe it is because I'm such a fan of Elliot that I'm unable to fully appreciate Josh.  However, I'm willing to make an effort because I really do believe he's worth it.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.joshpyke.com/

Elliott Smith - Figure 8

YOURZ

Listening to Elliott Smith is painful - not because he writes beautiful music, rich with melody and harmony, but because he's no longer around to write and record more.  His death, reported to be a suicide, is still surrounded in mystery, so much so, that I'm sure the truth will never fully be known.  Regardless, it's a tragic waste of a great talent.

As Mine acknowledges below, Elliott was introduced to us by a friend and has become a firm favourite in our house.  From A Basement On A Hill, his posthumous release, is probably my favourite but by a very small margin.  As with this, both Figure 8 and XO are absolute treasures, full of gorgeous, often sad songs and layered with Smith's resonant harmonies.  They truly are a listening pleasure.

On Figure 8, Elliott moves from piano-driven songs to quiet, solo numbers to full band tracks.  The continuity is his voice and arrangements, which I'm sure every sad-eyed boy with a guitar would love to emulate but very, very few have succeeded.  But he does this so effortlessly, I can't help but be somewhat envious of the depth of his talent. 

We've spent many early mornings, after rowdier nights, being drawn up and away to Elliott's tunes.  In fact, I can't imagine better music to accompany the sun coming up after a long night than his. 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Just how many sad, dead, gorgeous guitarists do we have in our collection, anyway?  Along with Mr Smith I can count Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake...  and all of them have their moments.  (YourZ sez: well, there's also Marc Bolan, David McComb, Kurt Cobain and Brad Nowell - these are all I can think of but I'm sure there are more...)

YourZ and Mine(self) were introduced to Elliott by a friend (hi, Dave!) who left us with a bootleg copy of XO.  Much playing later we swapped that for a real version and have been buying up his back catalogue ever since.  Or at least YourZ has because frankly, he's the one who brings the most music into the house, and I'm the one who (mostly) enjoys the consequences.  That's just the way it is.  It's kind of like, I'm the one who brings the most cookbooks into the house, and he's the one who (mostly) enjoys the consequences.

Where was I?  Ah yes, Mr Smith.  I'm really sorry he's dead.  It was like reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and then learning the author was dead (damn!) and then learning he wrote two more books (hooray!) and then learning he planned to write TEN in the series (double damn!)  Loving XO led us on to loving Figure 8 and From a Basement on a Hill and do we have Roman Candle?  But however many albums of his we discover, nothing makes up for the fact that this amazing talent left this earth way, way too soon.

Side note:  this and the other CDs are probably NOT albums to play in the car, as the music is often so beautiful you just want to close your eyes.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP get comfy and dream a little

For more information: http://www.sweetadeline.net/

In our collection, we also have:  XO and From a Basement on a Hill