Album Review: Something For Kate - Leave Your Soul To Science (Deluxe Edition)

30 January 2013 | 2:20 pm | Dylan Stewart

Perhaps better suited live, the songs of Shotgun Karaoke are unnecessary – especially compared to the original brilliance of Leave Your Soul To Science.

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For those who missed the tremendous return to form for the much-loved Melbourne trio Something For Kate in 2012, Leave Your Soul To Science ranks among the best work that the band have produced. The album takes the youthful exuberance of Elsewhere For 8 Minutes and injects Paul Dempsey's deep wordplay – straight from the balladry of Echolalia and Beautiful Sharks – into the mix.

The result spans between the claustrophobic yet tender opening number Star-Crossed Citizens to the lovingly-crafted and catchy chorus of Miracle Cure. The ever-reliant Clint Hyndman hits the skins manfully – you'll agree if you've ever seen him play that means putting every one of his man-muscles into every drum stroke – and Stephanie Ashworth is at her intimidating best on bass.

In addition to the original 12 songs on Leave Your Soul To Science, the 2CD version includes – surprise, surprise – a second disc. It's a five-track offering subtitled Shotgun Karaoke, a somewhat misleading title given the obvious thought and rehearsal that went into its creation. The five songs are Dempsey acoustic numbers, including Survival Expert from Leave Your Soul To Science, and a sublime version of Active Child's Hanging On. He's replaced the harp with acoustic guitar, and Dempsey works his upper register beautifully.

From there, versions of Bowie's Let's Dance, World Party's Ship Of Fools and Sam Brown's Stop are earnest, but aren't done justice given the restrictions that only a voice and acoustic guitar place on them. Stop, especially, without the haunting string section of Brown's original, seems naked here. Perhaps better suited live, the songs of Shotgun Karaoke are unnecessary – especially compared to the original brilliance of Leave Your Soul To Science.

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