Although this new album by The Apartments has been out for a few weeks, it somehow seems strangely fitting to be reviewing it in the aftermath of last weekend's tragic events on Bondi Beach, That's What The Music Is For is in many ways about the healing powers of music to bring us together and help each other. The Apartments are currently based in Sydney, the album was recorded at Bob Le Flambeur studio in Marrickville by Producer, engineer Tim Kevin who also led the backing band alongside Peter Milton-Walsh with Nick Kennedy, Adrian Workman, Natasha Penot, Jeff Crawley, Neysa May Barnett, Pauline Drand and Xavier Gueant-Mata.
The album opens with the slow breathy It's A Casino Life full of the regrets that they couldn't help a friend deep in trouble, they tried they asked the right questions but were deflected and now are struggling to console themselves to what happened next, soft spare backing adds to the intensity of feeling in the lyrics, trying to figure out just why you couldn't be helped.
Afternoons should be spent together enjoying the delights of a sunny afternoon, this is a gorgeous love duet with Natasha Penot full of evocative imagery. A Handful Of Tomorrow is the longing and hopes for love throughout the autumn days, soft shuffling percussion and sparsely beautiful trumpet richly decorate this song.
Another Sun Gone Down is a slow thoughtful anthem for a woman addicted to Adderall and peaches and how that particular cocktail worked for her, the love disappearing into the colours in the sky, he wants to know why you left us too soon, without so much as a note.
That's What the Music Is For (When The Fair's Over) summer is gone and the nights are closing in, on this acoustic guitar strummed chamber pop song, that invites you in out of the cold, to get the comfort you need, with some multi-part backing vocals, giving this a rather comforting feel.
Death Would Be My Best Career Move states the truth for many legendary musicians, that the best way to boost sales and get loads more coverage and airplay is by dying, so sad that this is a universal truth for so many great musicians, here's hoping that career move is still a very long way off.
The American Resistance is a slow thoughtful plea for a new American Resistance to bring common sense and lawful salvation back to the once beacon of freedom that was America.
You Know We're Not Supposed To Feel This Way very sadly seems to be a perfect song to play for anyone who was in Sydney over the last weekend, hopefully kids will be able to do cartwheels in the park without fear again real soon, this suddenly has the feel of a poignant anthem for the peaceful and loving people we all want to spend time with, while hoping against hope that better days are around the corner, the difficulty in understanding why you left the way you did, with the brass accompaniment is a beautiful coda.
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