by MY DISCO
MY DISCO Severe (PBS feature record)
Breaking with tradition and eschewing engineer Steve Albini and his renowned analogue sound for their fourth LP Severe, MY DISCO take a quantum leap on their first album in almost five years. Working this time in the digital realm with producer and film composer Cornel Wilzcek (AKA electronic artist Qua) Severe finds the Melbourne trio diving headlong into the minimalist approach they’ve employed increasingly on previous records – the electronic drone of guitarist Ben Andrews’ side project Assad and drummer Rohan Ribeiro’s metronomic experimentation as Kangaroo Skull also seeming to influence their continued evolution as a band.
Lead singles 'King Sound' and '1991' are a good indication of what to expect from Severe – sparse, repetitive rhythms; thumping, percussive bass; subdued vocals lurking under squalls of feedback and wall-of-sound production. Opener 'Recede' paints a similarly bleak and spacious picture, centrepiece 'Our Decade' builds layer upon layer of heavily processed guitars before another of those ferocious militaristic rhythms kicks hard, with album closer 'Careless' a frenetic coda to the expansive arrangements that come before it.
The monolithic return of MY DISCO finds the band in their most brutal form yet and proves there are still new directions the archetypal guitar/bass/drums combo can take in 2015.
By Cam Durnsford, PBS marketing and events coordinator, Free for All, The Breakfast Spread, Mondays at 8:30
Son Little Self-titled (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
Son Little has been extremely active in the past 12 months. First of all, he released his excellent debut EP, Things I Forgot . He then appeared as the producer of Mavis Staples' wonderful EP, Your Good Fortune. This EP was a little different to Mavis' last few releases and her gospel background came back to the fore. He also contributed to the Mojo tribute album to Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti with a unique but awesome take on 'Trampled Underfoot'. As a result of these endeavors, his debut full-length has been much anticipated. The album carries off from Things I Forgot with its mix of soul and electronica – the more soul-influenced tracks work better here. Highlights include 'Carbon', 'Doctor's In' and the beautiful ballad, 'Lay Down'. The album also includes a couple of the highlights off the EP, 'The River' and 'Your Love Will Blow Me Away'. One of the great soul albums of 2015.
By Crispi – The Breakfast Spread
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