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BETWEEN THE DARKNESS AND THE DAWN
Some artists slip between the cracks. "You get what you
all deserve," Liz Stringer declares in the opening cut of
her fourth album, Warm In The Darkness (out now on Vitamin
Records). But on the second track, she concedes, "sometimes
the grit don't become the pearl". Liz has toiled for the
past six years, churning out world-class records that sit
comfortably alongside albums from Shawn Colvin, Melissa
Etheridge and Lucinda Williams. If she got what she deserved,
she'd be a worldwide star. That's not to say that Liz doesn't
have her champions - Triple R's Neil Rogers has been a long-time
supporter; indeed, he turned Howzat! on to Liz's many charms.
I guess it's a crowded marketplace and it's easy to overlook
yet another rootsy singer-songwriter. Liz is not reinventing
any wheels, but Warm In The Darkness is so strong, it's
time she got what she deserved.
Before Howzat! heard the new album, a fan told me he was
slightly disappointed. He felt the album was over-produced
and lacking the warmth of Liz's previous offerings (2006's
Soon, 2008's Pendulum, and 2010's Tides of Time). But to
Howzat!'s ears, it's her strongest set yet. These songs
are effortlessly instant. Check out the centrepiece of the
album, the beautifully titled Glutton. The song swaggers
and soars, as she riffs like the Rolling Stones, though
the lyric aches: ""I'm a glutton," Liz sings, "and feeding
upon this pain is better than nothing." You'll be hard-pressed
to find a stronger song this year. And the rest of the record
showcases similar superior songwriting. These are songs
that immediately sound like old friends, even if some of
them have a restless spirit. Warm in the darkness, indeed.
In anybody's language, Liz Stringer is a star. She launches
Warm In The Darkness at the Corner on Sunday, and is also
playing at the Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh on 22 June.
KINGSWOOD COUNTRY
Dave Powell knows his rock. The former manager of Jet is
now looking after Melbourne band Kingswood. After some major
heart problems, Dave has a titanium valve in his heart.
And his x-rays are part of the artwork for the new Kingswood
EP, Change Of Heart. Triple j's Dave Ruby Howe calls it
"big, burly, fuck-off rock music". Tough, but melodic, this
Kingswood is classic.
I GOTYE!
Gotye has equalled the US chart record by an Australian
male solo artist. APRA's Song of the Year, Somebody That
I Used To Know, has now spent seven weeks at number one
in the US - matching Andy Gibb's seven-week stretch in 1978
with Shadow Dancing. Only two songs by Aussie artists have
spent more time on top - Olivia Newton-John's Physical (10
weeks in 1981) and the Bee Gees' Night Fever (eight weeks
in 1978). The Gibbs and ONJ were, of course, based in the
US at the time; Gotye is the only Aussie-based artist to
have such a reign in the US. Gotye is the 10th Aussie act
to have a chart-topping single in the US (after the Bee
Gees, Helen Reddy, ONJ, Andy Gibb, Air Supply, Rick Springfield,
Men At Work, INXS and Savage Garden). Meanwhile, Kimbra's
debut album, Vows, has entered the US charts at number 14.
BARRY'S HAPPY ORGAN
Barry Morgan and his organ exploded via Spicks and Specks.
This is a great music character, with the luxuriant hair,
safari suit, beautiful teeth and an instrument that permits
plenty of puns and jokes ("What is more romantic than roses
on a piano? Tulips on an organ"). Barry is actually the
alter ego of a fine Melbourne musician and songwriter named
Stephen Teakle, who has played with many artists, including
Neil Murray, Andy Baylor and Alex Hallahan. Barry has now
done an album, The Touch Of You (out this Friday on Perambulator
Records through MGM). Instead of doing organ covers of classic
songs, Stephen has written all the tunes. It's not quite
the same without Barry's crazed smile, but it's good, clean,
cheesy fun.
CHART WATCH
Guy Sebastian has a golden debut.
Gold GUY SEBASTIAN (number 10, debut)
Sitting On Top Of The World DELTA GOODREM (11)
Timebomb KYLIE MINOGUE (12, debut)
Landslide KARISE EDEN (14, debut)
Different Worlds BRITTANY CAIRNS (15)
Do It Like That RICKI-LEE (19)
Into The Flame EP MATT CORBY (22)
Child 360 (24)
Ave Maria FATAI V (25, debut)
In My Mind IVAN GOUGH & FEENIXPAWL (29)
Somebody That I Used To Know GOTYE (30)
If Looks Could Kill TIMOMATIC (35)
Wherever I Lay My Hat DARREN PERCIVAL (37)
Listen SARAH DE BONO (38)
The Temper Trap spend just one week on top. Will Missy Higgins
score her third number one album next week?
The Story So Far KEITH URBAN (number two)
The Temper Trap THE TEMPER TRAP (four)
By The Horns JULIA STONE (11, debut)
Falling & Flying 360 (19)
Two Worlds Collide THE McCLYMONTS (21)
Don't Funk With Me ALSTON (22)
Drinking From The Sun HILLTOP HOODS (28)
Mr And Mrs O'SHEA (39, debut)
HOWZAT! PLAYLIST
Glutton LIZ STRINGER
Change Of Heart KINGSWOOD
I Understand SOPHIE KOH
Big Bossa BARRY MORGAN
Set Me On Fire MISSY HIGGINS
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