Liverpool Fireman Lights a Blaze POP/TRANCE WHY Does Paul Mccartney, a Grown Man with and Rushes (1998)

20 MUSIC November 29 - 30, 2008 that includes recording, touring and FOLK-POP IAIN merchandising components. Before the Ruin SHEDDEN AND while we’re on a roll with divas, Kris Drever, SPIN DOCTOR our own Kylie will be here in just a John McCusker, few weeks for her run of pre- Roddy Woomble Christmas extravaganzas. Word from Navigation/Planet Spin Doctor’s informant, who witnessed her performance in HE grand old dame of American soul REMINISCENT of ALT, the side project that Bangkok last weekend, is that music, Roberta Flack, is making a rare brought together Andy White, Liam Minogue is singing better than ever T trip to Australia next year to perform a O’Maonlai and Tim Finn a few years back, and is in good spirits and health, a short series of concerts. The veteran singer, who this collaboration features Idlewild singer marked contrast to her Showgirl made famous titles such as Killing Me Softly Roddy Woomble hooking up with fellow extravaganzas here two years ago with His Song and Help Me Make It Through Scots, folk guitarist Kris Drever and fiddler the Night, will have cause for celebration while when she was still recovering from her brush with cancer. Kylie has John McCusker. The upshot is some of the she is here. Flack will turn 72 on February 10. freshest and finest recent acoustic folk-pop. Strangely, the old soul diva is not too keen on other reasons to be cheerful, of Given the trio’s towering talents and that the outside world joining in on her celebrations. course. The petite pop princess must they have elicited simpatico contributions Flack refused to talk to the Australian media be wondering what to buy for from musical friends of the stature of about her upcoming tour if they mentioned her Christmas this year, having just Radiohead’s Philip Selway, Teenage age during the interview or in any articles Illustration: Tom Jellett pocketed almost $5 million for her published as a result, this despite the fact her performance at the opening of the Fanclub’s Norman Blake and Francis time on earth has been documented so many but singing for her supper on the world stage. Atlantis hotel in Dubai a few days before her MacDonald, Capercaillie’s Donald Shaw, times and is available on every search engine or Australia wasn’t on the tour schedule but, Guy- Bangkok show. Michael McGoldrick (ex Flook and Lunasa) and BBC folk musician of the year Andy music history book you care to name. Flack is less and fancy free, Madge has decided that a Cutting, this is no great surprise. Despite the sticking to her guns. The singer, born in few weeks in the southern hemisphere may be FINALLY on the tour front, it’s 99 per cent distinguished guest list, the trio’s well- Asheville, North Carolina, is 71, just in case you just the ticket. Madonna has done well in certain that Simon and Garfunkel will be in crafted, environmentally conscious songs didn’t know. Australia in the past, but next year s shows will Australia in June next year. ’ are relatively stripped back. Only Rest on the be different in one respect. The concerts are not OH, and good news on the Facebook front, Rock rocks, although the title track is SPEAKING of ageing divas heading Down being promoted by an Australian. Madge will reminiscent of Fairport Convention at its Under, it seems Madonna has decided the best visit these shores under the auspices of Live following my rant on that topic last week. Billy Bragg is now my friend. Imagine. peak. Drever and Woomble’s mellifluous way to ease the pain of divorce is to keep on Nation, the American company with which voices blend like malt whisky. ■ doing what she does best — no, not vogueing — she signed a multimillion-dollar deal [email protected] Tony Hillier HIP-HOP JAZZ CLASSICAL ROCK New Sydney Everything is Paper Planes Wind Quintet Borrowed Stella Skinner New Sydney Havilah The Streets Quartet Wind Quintet The Drones Pure Groove Newmarket Independent ATP/R/MGM THE Streets, known to his mum as Mike YOUNG Melbourne guitarist Stella FILLING the void left by the disbandment of ALBUM No 4 from Melbourne’s the Drones Skinner, appears to be distancing himself Skinner’s debut album contains nine the Sydney Wind Quintet in 1994, the New opens like a disturbed snake nest: writhing, from his geezer-riffic image of old with his original compositions in a mainstream Sydney Wind Quintet was founded in 2004 biting, unremorseful, with Gareth Liddiard fourth album. Skinner is rightfully admired for style. Expectations are raised with high- by flautist Bridget Bolliger. The group unleashing a torrent of poetic incantations on the bitingly witty lyrics of his first two albums, profile pianist Sam Keevers, drummer Tony comprises Sydney Symphony members the foolishnesses of modern society. These which frankly discussed pubs, drugs, girls Floyd and bassist Alex Yeap. The tunes are oboist Alexandre Oguey and clarinettist narratives dictate the songs’ explorative and greasy breakfast fry-ups. Musically, the interesting — some almost neo-classical — Francesco Celata, plus bassoonist Andrew structures, as Liddard is too articulate to be arrangements were spare, driven by samples professionally played and well recorded, Barnes and horn player Andrew Bain. This hemmed in by standard rhyming verses and and drum machines. But his new direction but there’s an overall feeling of restraint, as first disc (available via bridget@nswq neat choruses. The band emphasises its falls flat. The subject matter is deeper, more if everyone is holding back. On the title .com.au) is a high-quality recording of sonic strengths by limiting instrumentation mature and arguably more important than on track, the quartet is joined by Imogen some of Australia’s finest wind players. and shedding collaborators. The folkiness of previous records. Skinner moralises on Manins playing a melancholy intro on cello Included is a premiere recording of a work 2006’s Gala Mill is replaced with the end-of- by Ross Edwards, Incantations. Close your the-world psychosis of dropouts and rural religion, the afterlife and existentialism but, that segues into a pleasant ensemble eyes and you could be at a waterhole deep isolation. The Minotaur is a monster of despite his best intentions, his earnestness piece. An untitled solo guitar track in the outback. Paul Juon’s Quintet for ferocity and psychedelic visions, and equal to mostly sounds silly. He swaps drum demonstrates Skinner’s considerable machines for orchestral instrumentation but winds in B flat major ends the disc with a the Drones’ best songs. So too the passion of ability, somewhat reminiscent of US the music is frequently incongruous with his beautiful, round sound. Described by many Supercargo, which explodes on the back of guitarist Earl Klugh. With its atmosphere of voice, which is much better suited to spoken- as the missing link between Tchaikovsky lines such as ‘‘You want to make good with understatement, this album would be word rap than singing. Overall, to misquote and Stravinsky, Juon’s music is full of cannibal, you’ve got to show him how to Brisbane band Regurgitator, I like his old stuff perfect accompaniment for a long lunch on folk-like melodies performed with a freeze a priest’’. Intelligent and rockin’, the better than his new stuff. a relaxed Sunday afternoon. lovely lyricism. Drones keep raising the bar. Sarah Elks John McBeath Meldi Arkinstall Sean Rabin FEATURE CD Liverpool Fireman lights a blaze POP/TRANCE WHY does Paul McCartney, a grown man with and Rushes (1998). But the first two were a reputation as one of the finest songwriters dance-trance remixes, where entire alive, need to form a not very anonymous McCartney albums were deconstructed and Electric band with producer Youth called the new music was created from the resulting Arguments Fireman? Well, why did David Bowie form Tin samples by Youth and McCartney in the The Fireman Machine and John Lennon the Plastic Ono studio. Electric Arguments is the first Shock Band? To some extent it’s about submerging Fireman album to have vocals, making it a gigantic, albatross-like identity and much more like a brilliantly produced emerging fresh, with a new name and a new McCartney solo album. The 13 songs were spirit. In McCartney’s case, it’s easy to see improvised, one a day, during the course of why he wouldn’t want people continually a year. Sometimes it shows, but mostly it’s combing his music to see if there are any an effervescent liberation. Sing the Changes references to his former one-legged wife, is probably the catchiest, most hummable who hopped off recently with a sizeable McCartney song in years. Similarly, Sun is chunk of his fortune. But the Helter Skelter- Shining has the unmistakable optimistic feel like opening track Nothing Too Much Just Out of Wings, circa 1975. Elsewhere of Sight blows a hole in that theory. ‘‘I said experimental sounds, forms and imaginative I loved you, I thought you knew, the last thing riffs argue with classic McCartney tones and to do was to try to betray me,’’ he wails, as modes. The result is a fascinating collage if his life depends on it. Electric Arguments that constantly surprises and reveals its is the third outing for the Fireman, after treasure gradually. Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest (1993) Ian Cuthbertson.

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