A resent wait for a CD copy of Stick Men + was a case in point. Being a huge King Crimson fan, the appetite was already piqued by the impressive line up of Crimson alumni that make up the band. Every day the walk to the post box was a long one until that bundle of bubble wrapped goodness arrived.

The band, Tony Levin (the mighty Crim, Peter Gabriel and too many more to mention), Pat Mastelotto (K.C., Mr. Mister), Markus Reuter (centrozoon, Tuner) and guest David Cross (K. C., Radius) have a unique instrumental make up and sound. Levin plays the stick (a string instrument where the strings are touched – not plucked) Reuter, a touch guitar and keys, Cross, a violin and keys and Mastelotto, all things percussive. Together they stretch out over two discs and indulge in all manner of tone poems, songs and sonic sketches. They even tackle the odd Crimson tune or two.

The music contained in those two live discs was sublime (being both beautiful and challenging) and the wait for its arrival only made the initial experience that much sweeter. With the recent revival of a medium that never really went away, the vinyl record, it seems there are people that still want something physical to have and hold while listening to music. Thank goodness for that!

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/stickmenofficial

Since their earliest recordings more than a decade ago, The Decemberists have been known for their sense of scope and daring. Drawing on influences such as REM, The Shins and Death Cab for Cutie, they sway through upbeat pop to lush ballads to sea shanties, and employ a plethora of instruments including accordion, organ, and upright bass to orchestrate exciting, theatrical performances that have charmed audiences the world over.

After the success of the 2011 Number 1 album The King is Dead, which included the Grammy nominated song ‘Down By the Water’, they took a break to spend time with their families, and now much to fans’ delight, The Decemberists are back with their seventh album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World (2015) and a collection of b-sides from the recording sessions– a 5-song EP titled Florasongs to be released on October 9.
What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World has been heralded as the band’s most varied and dynamic work, both musically and emotionally, they took their time to make it & experimented with texture, vocals, strings and more to shape the tenor, whilst drawing from profound pieces of inspiration including President Obama’s national address following the Newtown School shootings, from which the album title came.

As well as selling out tours across the globe, the Grammy-nominated collective from Portland have featured on the Hunger Games soundtrack, appeared on Conan, & Jimmy Kimmel Live, and they even had the honour of legendary TV show creator Matt Groening selecting them to feature in animated form on The Simpsons, and performed on the season six finale of Parks and Recreation.

We can’t wait to see the unforgettable, unique concert experience The Decemberists will put on for their Aussie fans in a rare trip down under.

The Decemberists 2016 Aussie Tour
26-27 March 2016 – Bluesfest, Byron Bay
29 March 2016 – Hammer Hall, Melbourne Arts Centre, Melboure
30 March 2016 – Sydney Opera House, Sydney
www.decemberists.com

In the way that watching an effective non-fiction film makes you want to follow the viewing with a liberal amount of internet investigation, Wilson’s ode to the life and times of Joyce Carol Vincent has the same effect. It’s an emotional album about a story that underlines the fact that even with all the social media and Internet connections in today’s society, people fall between the cracks, intentional or otherwise.

Vincent was by all accounts, a vibrant and popular young lady who turned off the world and died alone. Her body was not discovered for almost three years and due to the condition of the corpse, no real cause of death is known. This only adds to the mystery. Wilson takes this story as a template and has fashioned a modern masterpiece.

The music can be dense in the way that only virtuosos can accomplish with Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats) on guitar being particularly effective. Those moments however are sharply contrasted by the starkly emotional tracks like Perfect Life and the early moments of Routine before the afore mentioned Govan and guest vocalist Ninet Tayeb (winner of the Israeli version of Pop Idol) deliver one of the album’s most sublime musical moment.

If ever there was and is a musician capable of transcending the somewhat limited straight jacket (commercially) of progressive rock and becoming a crossover star, it’s Wilson. Having said that he might just be too good to make that leap.

Rob Hudson
www.stevenwilsonhq.com

That album, The Woods saw the band arrive at a point that veered close to a classic rock feel with its dense sound and almost prog nature. After that statement, band members Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss put the group on indefinite hiatus and then went on to pursue different individual and outside band projects and who can blame them? Being in a band can become a grind and steer you into a lifestyle that has more similarities than differences and it’s unique life experiences that often times fuel the most interesting songs.

At first listen the new album highlights the fact that no rust has formed on the band’s chops or abilities. The assertive and spiky all girl assault is intact and the emotion behind the tracks signals a renewed sense of vigour and social awareness. The vocal delivery is insistent and at times even channels Geddy Lee. It’s a return that makes one realise how much we have actually missed them. The world moves on but not that much.

Initial standout tracks include Fangless a song that starts things out in a rush with its Gang Of Four like syncopation, No Cities To Love with its inclusive chorus and Hey Darling with its tsunami of power chords. But then singling out individual tracks on an album this consistent does it a disservice. Every track is taunt and purposeful.

No Cities to Love is an album that will have legs in any collection as the more you play it the more it becomes a soundtrack to future endeavors. It definitely blows out the cobwebs created by most of the current radio fodder. Real voices, real guitars and real attitude.

Rob Hudson
www.sleater-kinney.com