The John Steel Singers
The John Steel Singers are Brisbane royalty in 2013. Hell, they even helmed the sound on their debut, Tangalooma, with Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens. This time, for the all-important second album (a concept the band seemingly scoff at here), they've taken on production duties themselves at a parent's house on the Sunshine Coast and completely nailed it. There's something of a renewed zest from the get-go – a brief interlude/intro called The Needle before Happy Before kicks the album in properly. It's JSS alright, but with a neat Spaghetti-Western-esque guitar leading the charge ahead of the bouncy, first single, Everything's A Thread, something more garage but with the harmonies we've known and love well intact. Speaking of harmonies, they're easily piped down from the heavens above and blatantly jaw-dropping on the sublime MJ's On Fire Again, a song that takes R&B flavours akin to Dirty Projectors and wraps them around a neat bass drive and intricate guitar.
This is a different beast to that of Tangalooma; the hooks are intact, though more subtle and allowing for that sneaky growing-on-you feeling unravelling perfectly after a few spins. The jangly Common Thread is easily a future radio favourite while the slinky groove on The Marksman and the downbeat The AC are highlights on the album – an album that is an utter triumph for a band that's easily amongst our country's most important.
