Music is often about a spirit of place. The where you are, or the where you’d rather be – even if you’ve not actually been there before. You’re kind of not really surprised when well-known chemical travellers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard go about subverting that idea. Shamelessly honouring and grinning at the legendary Miles Davis with their upcoming Sketches Of Brunswick, they take a slightly jazzy turn, collaborating with the like-mindedly cockeyed Mild High Club for rambling and unfurling pieces like previewing single Tezeta (Flightless). Yes, that’s a town in Ethiopia, but the sometimes wonky trills of this more suggest this as background music to the Abyssinian expo at Raindrop Fountain food court at your local Westfield shopping centre. Typically weird, but carries you in as it intrigues.
And sometimes, the journey need only be an internal one. As the equal marriage argument gets as ugly as so many of us thought it might in the first place, the splendid tale of Melbourne-via-New York’s Alex The Astronaut is moved to explain herself. Although she shouldn’t damn well have to. Not Worth Hiding (Minkowski Records) is that often mawkish and/or awkward beast, the ‘coming out’ song, made conversational, matter-of-fact, and most of all honest. And you can singalong with it, whatever your preferences. The most telling line is ‘One day this song won’t need singing…’. You’d like to hope that’d be soon.
But in this world spitting so much bile at those who disagree, the corporations sometimes still try and obscure the message. Regardless of whether you like Jared Leto, or think he might overplay his hand both musically and/or on screen, you tend not to doubt his sincerity. Thirty Seconds To Mars new thing, Walk On Water (Interscope) is illustrated with shots from their ‘One Day In America’-style documentary – which fairly clearly shows a country in pain, although some seem to be revelling in the divisions unleashed. But while it’s fairly openly casting a critical eye left and right, the press release tries to spin its message as “…embodies the spirit of elite athletes”. Yeah, ideal anthemic singalong for that baseball highlights TV package. Rinsing the grit from the point they were making is probably not what Jared and his bandmates had in mind.
Of course, there’s no place quite like New York, although they really haven’t had the hype-driven future of rock and roll for a while. Something new-ish is required, as The Strokes stumble around looking for someone to blame for where it all went wrong. Current lead suspect, Ryan Adams – although he seems busy arguing with Father John Misty this week. But back in metropolis, circuses and elephants have started casting their eyes hopefully to QTY. Introduced with a press release clacked out on an old-style typewriter (naturally) to show their punk credentials, there’s enough guitars and offhanded ‘fuck you’ attitude to Dress/Undress (Dirty Hit) to enjoy, and have some of the would-be tastemakers on both sides of the Atlantic trying to make them the next great white hope. Putting that aside, this goes alright - the female counterpoint adding the 21st century element it probably needs.
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Elsewhere in Gotham, Cults were contenders some time back, but quite sensibly had an exit strategy before drowning in the swirl to have a real life for a while before throwing themselves back into the machine again. They apparently purchased some more old analogue synths, and listened to a lot of old records by The Cars – no bad thing, that – and four years on their return is I Took Your Picture (Sinderlyn/Remote Control) is fuzzy but airy and while it doesn’t immediately grab you by the lapels, it does seep in, earworming its way out sometime later in the day.
The name on the tin suggests what you might get from The Soul Movers. Suits-and-ties, well-wrought retro R&B and, er, soul done with some style and substance. Lizzie Mack is the front presence, and belts it out in front of utterly assured band that contains among other things, a Wiggle and a Birdman. Fool I Am (ABC Music) is a pulsing thing and good example of what they’re about – Pip Hoyle’s organ lines more Booker T than the Ray Manzerek lines he’d spool out for his other well-documented, and latterly documentaried band, while dispensing with red skivvy you really have to know that Murray Cook is genuinely a helluva guitar player.
The first tastes of LCD Soundsystem’s comeback record have been more of their moody side, but Tonite (DFA) is of the classic form. James Murphy wandering by, musing on mortality and such while the band bubbles and squeaks, churns and hums, underneath. Oh, but you want more? How about a virtual reality disco then? For those of you with the necessary technology and headset, follow the instructions of the attached video that isn’t the band just playing (and not playing) the tune. Actually, watch the ‘Making Of…’ visuals as well anyway – if only for Murphy being amused and bemused by the technology, and giving hope to chunky beardy guys everywhere who really don’t get how their phone is doing that.
And while some of the above have maybe offered too much information, some equally deliberately choose not to tell you too much. Melbourne’s Peter Sonic – yeah, I’m kinda sure that ain’t his real name either – is apparently 6ft 3, and makes coffee. OK, sure. But The Cracks (Independent) is quite a thing. Modern synth-based pop, maybe with some Bowie or even Midge Ure gravitas in his rich vocals. It’s a slightly different neon nightclub than Jack Ladder’s, Kirin’s, or Cameron Avery’s – but it’s in the same neighbourhood where tongues might not be so obviously in cheeks.
