Latest CD reviews

Woman King – Iron and Wine
[Sub Pop]

This six-track EP from Iron and Wine (a.k.a. Sam Beam, one of the masters of modern blues-folk) sees the singer-songwriter taking cautious steps away from his earlier lo-fi approach to composition and production. Its six warmly and cleanly recorded tracks display a rich texture not previously audible in Iron and Wine albums, a beautiful setting in which to display Beam’s narrative lyrics and his simultaneously plaintive yet robust tunes. Evoking misty mornings that turn into brilliant days, these rhythmic, emotive, coolly passionate songs take the heartfelt passion of folk and filter it though tastes more akin to contemporary urban sensibilities. If the taste of Iron and Wine on the Garden State soundtrack wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, thus EP certainly should be.

I Am A Bird Now – Antony and the Johnsons
[Spunk]

The second album from this exquisite New York artist is a heart-breaking collection of songs that captivate, move and engage in equal measure. The singularly titled Antony possesses a voice that encompasses both the falsetto of Jimmy Sommerville and the throaty heartbreak of Billie Holiday, while guests of the calibre of Lou Reed, Boy George and Rufus Wainwright also contribute to the vocals. The rich simplicity of the strings and piano which form the bulk of the backing for Antony’s vocals tend towards the mournful, but for anyone who has ever appreciated a torch-song, this is an album to treasure. From the heartbreaking opening lines of the first track, "Hope there’s someone who’ll take care of me/When I die," to the empowering ‘Today I Am A Boy’, on which Antony sings "One day I’ll grow up and be a beautiful woman," this is an album so beautiful it literally brings tears to my eyes.

Go Slow – Cam Butler
[Pharmacy]

Cam Butler is the guitarist and song-writer of acclaimed Melbourne band Silver Ray. His second solo album is basically an extension of his work with that band: sweeping and passionate guitar-based soundtracks for non-existent films, enriched by the inclusion of a string orchestra. Go Slow is tightly structured, evocative and elegant, but I can’t help feeling that it sounds a trifle too similar to the work Butler has produced before.

Funeral – The Arcade Fire
[Spunk/Inertia]

Inspired by death but bursting with life and creative flair, Funeral is the debut album from Canadian band The Arcade Fire, fronted by the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. Influences from bands as diverse as The Pixies and Talking Heads can be detected in their music, but these passionate songs have a style all their own. The beautiful yet solemn opening track ‘Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)’ evokes love flowering in a grief-haunted and snowbound town, while ‘Neighbourhood #4 (Kettles)’ juxtaposes post-punk guitar hooks with 60’s-style vocal harmonies and a pulsating, irresistible beat. Art-rock without the pretension that usually haunts that genre, Funeral is a complex, dense and richly textured album, and utterly engaging.

Superwolf – Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
[Spunk/Inertia]

This album, a collaboration between Wil Oldham (under his ‘Prince’ Billy non-de-plume) and Matt Sweeney had its origins when Oldham challenged the ex-Zwan and Guided By Voices guitarist to a song-writing duel. The resulting tunes drift gently between electric folk and alt-country, matched by Oldham’s lyrical tales of dysfunctional love and the animal kingdom. At first the album sounds sparse and almost slight, but before long its sombre insights work their magic. Both graceful and bleak, Superwolf is sure to delight Oldham’s fans and rope in numerous new converts to his cause.