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No Through Road – ‘Party To Survive’

With a record called ‘Winners.’ (yes, the full stop apparently part of the title – thanks for the trend, ‘Dear Science,’) and a press release stating that the band could play at a birthday party, wedding or wake, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by No Through Road. Seriously, when was the last time you actually enjoyed listening to the band playing at a wedding? Fortunately, it turns out that these guys aren’t MOR exponents of foyer muzak – the only weddings and parties to which these guys could provide an appropriate soundtrack would be those held in grungy basements or sheds.

‘Party To Survive’ is a fantastic song that absorbs its simple, perhaps deliberately lo-fi qualities into an endearing aesthetc. Singer Matt Banham growls with the nonchalant energy of an early-90s slacker king through the distortion piled on top of his already-creaky voice. And don’t let the oddly-included electro into fool you, this song is all about the guitars. ‘We need to feel alright…/I need a party to survive’ are prominent lines from the chorus and, while the band certainly seem to be espousing hedonistic abandon, there’s a hint of desperation and sadness in Banham’s voice that adds an affecting depth to the refrain. This attention to delivery adds gravitas that is missing from many other superficial ‘party anthems’ and shows that a bit of intelligence behind even the simplest music can exponentially elevate proceedings.

www.myspace.com/nothroughroad

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We All Want To – ‘Back To The Car’

Tim Steward must be a busy guy. Not only has he been re-releasing and touring his other band Screamfeeder’s seminal 1996 album ‘Kitten Licks,’ he’s also steadily maintained a respectable solo career from which his latest band was born. Starting out his backing band, the five piece have consolidated their strengths and recorded an EP under the name We All Want To. There are obvious echoes of his better-known outfit in We All Want To’s sound but this is not so much because of laziness but because both bands churn out sharp indie pop-rock and because they both prominently feature Steward’s distinct and theatrical vocals.

‘Back To The Car’ is pop music at it’s least complicated. Just the usual instruments with a bit of delay on the vox, some transparent effects on the guitars and a reliabe verse/chorus structure. The song is largely reliant on the the melody and delivery to elevate it and it succeeds pretty well – but hey, I just love Steward’s voice and any song featuring those vocal chords of gold is likely to get me excited. The whole thing shimmers and the band, whose mean age is probably mid-30s (a rough guess), still sound young and excited; self-assured and brimming with kinetic energy.

If you’re a fan of Screamfeeder then you’ll probably enjoy WAWT as well. The EP as a whole doesn’t quite match the heights Steward has reached before but it’s probably following a deliberately different trajectory. As a lead track on a debut release though, ‘Back To The Car’ is a perfect choice – it races out and hits the listener with their strongest hand and defines their sound and intention.

www.myspace.com/weallwantto

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Cam MacKellar – ‘Glebe Point Road’

In an ideal world, all singer-songwriters would have the qualities Cam MacKellar posesses in spades – life experience, a strong musical skill-set and a great voice. That said, the lackustre competition just highlights the how rare it is to find talent like his.

An accomplished musician, MacKellar has worked along Shane Nicholson as a guitarist and received considerable critical acclaim for his work as a composer on Silent Soundtracks, a soundtrack project featuring Paul Kelly, The Necks and Paul Grabowsky.

His debut EP Saudadé is a gorgeous piece of work. MacKellar has crafted five strong songs, his voice carried by piano, strummed guitars and impeccable string arrangements, best showcased on the title track. The whole package is pressed onto a mock-postcard disc in mock-fabric packaging, a nod to MacKellar’s years spent travelling overseas.

www.myspace.com/cammackellar

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Paul Dempsey – Out The Airlock

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