|
Australia is one of those places that seems to have a disproportionate
amount of great bands per head of population. Maybe it's the relative
isolation from the rest of the music biz, or perhaps the Aussies
are just adept at turning their British and American influences
into something new and fresh; from The Easybeats through
Radio Birdman and The Saints to The Go-Betweens,
The Church and beyond, an incredible amount of compelling,
instrumental music has come out of the Antipodes in the last few
decades.
With only a few exceptions, though (Men At Work, anyone
- and did you know that Silverchair named themselves after
a You Am I song ?), most of Australia's best have remained
big stars at home but cult favourites abroad, known mostly to
music obsessives or fans of the more famous artists that influenced
them. So it is with You Am I, who've been releasing excellent
music since the early nineties. They've grown from grunge beginnings
through power pop to more of a classic rock sound nowadays, propelled
by the great songwriting of Tim Rogers and one of the best
live shows around. If you need some references, Sloan are
the closest I can think of, but fans of The Hold Steady,
Supergrass or The Replacements should also find
much to like here.
Convicts (the title may be a nod to Australia's history,
the country being largely built by banished criminals from Britain)
is one of You Am I's best records yet, honing the power pop and
hard rock of their recent albums into a slightly more polished,
classic sound that's still rough enough around the edges to satisfy
fans of their influences like the mighty Birdman (drummer Russell
Hopkinson was picked for the recent Birdman tour, and also
plays on their great recent album Zeno Beach).
There isn't really a bad song on the whole album, but a few standouts
include the pounding "It Ain't Funny How We Don't Talk Anymore"
(Brits of a certain age may shudder to remember the similarly
titled, but otherwise dissimilar Cliff Richard Christmas
hit), the slower but intense "By My Own Hand" and the
totally rockin' "Gunslingers."
Take a chance on this CD or check out the songs online if you're
intrigued, then look out for Hourly, Daily or #4 Record
if you're hooked. Here's hoping a few of you out there will discover
yet another Australian gem.
-Gareth Bowles
Check out
more reviews
 Talk
Back
e-mail the chief
Like this article?
e-mail
it to a friend!
|
You
Am I
