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Artist: Grinspoon |
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Outside the Pacific Rim the name of Grinspoon is somewhat of a mystery so when Global Music sent us the band's latest album ‘Six To Midnight’ to review, I was a little shocked to know the band have been around since they were picked up 1995 on Triple J, the most listened to radio station in Australia which subsequently led to the bands 1997 debut release 'Guide To Better Living'. Now some five albums later, the band have decided to sign a worldwide deal with Global Music so now the rest of the world can enjoy the band as the Aussies have been doing so for some 16 plus years. This is a new repackaged version of the bands 2009 album ‘Six to Midnight’, including a number of new unreleased bonus tracks, plus a newly Rick Will (Incubus, Skindred ) recorded version of the bands classic 'Champion'. The album is a real slice of no nonsense rock n' roll that expands over many of the rock genres from the punky Americana of the likes of Blink 182 and Green Day to the hard rock of fellow Antipodeans INXS and all points in-between. The album opens up with the hard-edged ‘Dogs’, a real left field track that punches you in the teeth and leaves you smiling. If you just took the album on the opener only then you'd really not be giving the album a fair chance to see how things progress and just how varied and multi-faceted this rock n' roll journey with the band can really be as the opening song is merely the beginning of this wonderful journey. The album really gets going for me from ‘Run’ onwards, this a gritty no nonsense rock n' roll track that will have you wondering why this wasn’t the opener. This is clearing a song that single successes are made of. But one of my favourite tracks off the album isn’t a punky assault or a full on hard rock track, ‘Comeback’ is in a whole new world of its own. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes thought provoking, a little rocky at times, a real gem that stands out from the rest of the album for me. The tempo picks up again with the thumping rocker ‘Takes One’, a real switch in styles from ‘Comeback’. It's old school Hard Rockin’ from start to finish. The band bring a little touch of that Queens Of The Stone Ages vibe to proceedings with ‘Premonitions’, then it switches to the Therapy styled ‘Right Now’. Two real rock out moments that show the diversity of not just this album, but the overall Grinspoon sound. It's switching time once again as the tempo is brought down with the almost semi-acoustic tones of ‘Give You More’. This one is just pure melody rich classic rock that reminds me of old school Aerosmith at times. Just as the mellow tone drift away it's back to that QOTSA vibe with ‘Lockdown’, before bringing a little heavier beat with the hard-edged ‘Tonight’ To say this album will keep you on your toes is an understatement. This album has more twists and turns than a bucketful of boomerangs, continuity is thrown out the window big style and for me that’s a good thing, who wants to hear different version of the same track over and over on an album anyway? Variety is the spice of life after all, is it not? The modern hard edged rock is continued with the excellent ‘Passenger’ and the thumping punky ‘Innocence’, before bringing one for the lovers of great rock ballads with ‘Summer’. The
album wraps up as mentioned at the beginning with the Rick Will remix of
‘Champion’, the final slice of excellence on an album that is as good
as it is varied and one that will surely spread the word that the Aussie
rock n' roll machine that is Grinspoon is coming your way, so you have
been warned. |
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Tracklisting:
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All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |
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