She Cried – Frank Yamma
Frank Yamma is a Pitjantjatjara man hailing from central Australia – something that is clear in his music, as he sings in both his native language (such as in his new single Everybody’s Talking) and in English. In 2010 his acclaimed album Countryman gave us the heartbreaking, confessional She Cried. A single, simple acoustic guitar line becomes the delicate thread running through Yamma’s raw and plaintive vocals, full of yearning, with sections of naturally delivered spoken word. In his fifth studio album Uncle, released in October, he experiments with fuller sounds, without ever losing his trademark emotional honesty. Sydneysiders can catch Yamma with the hip-hop artist Radical Son (here’s his video for Human Behaviour if you’re after a taster with a touch of reggae) at the Newtown Social Club on Thursday, with both artists launching their albums.
Vacant Space – George Maple
Sydney’s George Maple, aka Jessica Higgs, makes dance music that steers clear of cheap thrills. Songs like Fixed and Talk Talk (the latter of which has racked up more than 2m listens on Soundcloud) walk that fine line dividing the moody, experimental spectrum of electronica from the more radio-friendly electro-pop hits. Fans of her label mates Flume and Chet Faker, on Future Classic, will appreciate Maple’s introspective dancefloor fodder, with the new EP Vacant Space a good place to start for those yet to be acquainted with her whispery vocals and futuristic production. The title track has been burning up Hype Machine and iTunes charts, and this year she landed herself on the radio DJ Zane Lowe’s Next Hype list.
I Wish I Was Him – Noise Addict
In honour of the Lemonheads’ return to Australian shores this week, we’re revisiting this tribute to frontman Evan Dando, penned by a pubescent Ben Lee and his first band, Noise Addict. It was the early 90s, the Lemonheads were at the height of their powers (Mrs Robinson and It’s a Shame About Ray were clogging the airwaves), Dando was the grunge heart-throb du jour, and Lee and his young bandmates from Bondi were in thrall. “I wish I was him/ He gets the girls at his feet/ With all his cool friends/ He gets his records for free,” squeaked a starstruck Lee. The track changed everything for Noise Addict, catching the attention of the Beastie Boys, who signed the band to Grand Royal Records.
As the years rolled by, the tables turned for devotee and idol: Lee dated Claire Danes, married Ione Skye and had a successful solo career, while Dando developed a drug habit no one would wish for. In 2003 Lee paid the ultimate tribute to his idol, writing two songs – Hard Drive and All My Life – for Dando’s solo album Baby I’m Bored. In the Lemonheads’ live sets, Dando sometimes returns the favour – by covering I Wish I Was Him.
I’m a Fantastic Wreck – Montaigne
There are some – dare we say many – artists who bob in the rivers of modern music and, in drinking from the same waters as others, produce work that is rigorously on trend. But those like 19-year-old singer Montaigne (real name Jessica Cerro) from Sydney have a musical identity too distinct to allow them to blend into the crowds. In I’m a Frantastic Wreck there is a Kate Bush-ness about the dramatic delivery, with a surprising forcefulness and a clean, pop finish. But see her cover of Sia’s Chandelier to witness how she radically changes the feel of that song with her unusual delivery. Cerro was a Triple J Unearthed High finalist in 2012, and since then has finished her HSC, studied songwriting under Michael Szumowski of Alberts music and released her first EP, Life Of Montaigne.
Amexica – Trujillo
With immigration from its Hispanic neighbours likely to be a crucial US election issue in 2016, this hymn to the Americas’ Latino heritage is timely, providing as it does a kind of sonic briefing dossier for the whole debate. Freddy Trujillo was born into a musical family in east LA but has forged a career in Americana’s broad hinterlands, most recently with the sublime Delines. On this new record he takes inspiration from musical heroes such as Doug Sahm and Los Lobos. Mas Macho que Macho sets the tone with its classic Tejano feel, while Assimilation Blues moves that sound into the present day and the beautiful, flowing Freddy Fender pays tribute to the late-Tejano star. It’s great stuff and although some of the lyrical phrasing jars a bit, this is not only a topical record but a very cool one too.
