Talented songsmiths HALFWAY pretty much established themselves as Australia’s premier ‘Americana’-tinged band with their debut album ‘Farewell To The Fainthearted’ last year. It was record that made (and continues to make) repeated journeys to the over-worked W&H stereo and now its’ erstwhile follow-up, the sublime ‘Remember The River’ effortlessly cements their reputation as purveyors of quality-first Antipodean roots-rock.
Produced by the notable pairing of Rob Younger (New Christs/ Radio Birdman) and Wayne Connolly (The Vines, You Am I), ‘Remember…’ is a consistent, passionate set, clinically devoid of weak tracks and the band’s democratic approach to songwriting and performance ensuring that the sum is always greater than the parts. Stand out tracks jostle for elbow room and the overall effect leaves you simply wanting to re-cue the critter to enjoy it all over again when closing track ‘Edge Of The Pier’ winds down.
But more of that a little further down the line. Let’s concentrate on how they got that far first. Opener ‘River Roads’ is typically plangent, yearning REM-ish roots-rock, a sound full of passion and poignancy and lead vocals shared between Chris Dale and (unusually) bassist Ben Johnson. It rocks, but is leavened by mandolin and strings and shows just how impressive Halfway are becoming in all departments these days.
It’s soon followed up by the rich and descriptive ‘Dean & The Fitzroy’, full of allusions to the band’s native Queensland and propelled by Dale’s yearning vocals and Elwin Hawtin’s snappy drumming. Johnson and guitarist Johnny Busby push the chorus out further and Noel Fitzpatrick’s ghostly pedal steel seals up the melodic cracks.
From there on, Dale and Busby pretty much alternate on lead vocals. Dale’s voice is emotive and yearning (it’s difficult not to note tinges of both Ryan Adams and Jeff Tweedy) and just perfect for tracks like ‘Dearest Mother’ with its’ great, duelling organs and ‘Big Wave’: an edgy and fatalistic affair, carried beautifully by Johnson’s insistent bass motif and discreet slide guitar, while Busby is a little gentler and more approachable, but no less passionate on similar highlights like the perky, romantic ‘Left For Luck’ and ‘Cherri Ann’, where Halfway make like a heavier Burritos cryin’ a country-soul river, aided and abetted by a mournful, weeping fiddle.
|
It’s not the only time the spectre of Gram is favourably raised either. To this end, check out the excellent, mandolin-led country-billy shuffle of ‘Billie Joe & The Bullyman’ which is discernably ‘Gilded Palace’-ish in feel, yet – crucially – never derivative: quite an achievement bearing in mind the number of country-rock pretenders who have since plundered the carcass. But then Halfway are getting pretty damn adept at twisting familiarity into songs which are anything but contemptuous. If you need further proof, just give yourself a few minutes with songs as unmissable as the Replacements-meets-Waterboys-meets-Jayhawks bar-room swagger of ‘Chance’ ; the sorrowful and epic ‘The Ballad Of Liza Browne’ with its’ burning blue Sonic Youth guitar coda and the lovely, crestfallen closer ‘Edge Of The Pier’, which concludes in fine, defiant style with Dale singing “I was born to resist/ I’ll do more than get pissed/ I wanna live before I die.” A philosophy we’d all love to take on board in an ideal world.
All of which adds up to a special, resonant sophomore album by a band rapidly becoming synonymous with country-tinged quality. ‘Remember The River’ is a late contender for the upper echelons of those ‘Best of 2006’ lists and suggests that the allegedly ‘difficult’ third album may well be no hurdle at all for the eminently talented Halfway.
|
