Albums: His And Hers

Sun Herald

Sunday August 10, 2008

Craig Mathieson; Christine Sams

Van She

V (Modular) 6/10

V, the debut album from these club kid favourites, opens strongly with the tangy astral tweaks of Memory Man but the quartet struggles to maintain the quality as the disc unfolds. Produced by Englishman Jim Abbiss (Massive Attack, Arctic Monkeys), the tracks reveal there are two broad settings for Van She: spooked, minimal electro (Strangers) and summery disco-pop (Kelly). Both approaches could use a little of the other to unsettle the mix but, as it is, individual highlights (check The Sea) don't create a strong album. Modular labelmates The Presets and Cut Copy have set a strong standard already this year, with Van She struggling to distinguish themselves in their wake.

CRAIG MATHIESON

David Bridie

Succumb (Liberation Music) 7/10

With his Oz-music pedigree as a founder of Not Drowning, Waving and My Friend The Chocolate Cake, David Bridie could easily rest on his laurels. But Succumb, his third solo release, shows Bridie still exploring as a songwriter, still rising up in the studio. Often his lyrical voice is distinctly Australian in that way of acts such as Paul Kelly or Midnight Oil (emphasised with Bridie's fighting tone on So Many Lies). There are uplifting brass-based shifts on early songs, such as the title number and Going Out With The Enemy, but later tracks such as the slowly mesmerising Falling Down and the uptempo Swirl reveal Bridie's exploration of an edgier feel.

CHRISTINE SAMS

© 2008 Sun Herald

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