Review: Lime Cordiale - 14 Steps To A Better You (2020)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: triple j, JULY 2020

The last decade has been a slow-burn success story for Lime Cordiale.

From their humble beginnings as a Northern Beaches surf rock band to the large-scale pop-rock that’s earned the duo massive praise in recent years, brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach have been on quite the musical journey.

The release of their new album 14 Steps To A Better You comes three years on from their long-awaited debut, Permanent Vacation. A debut album that mixed their beachy roots with irresistible melodies and slick production, Permanent Vacation proved to be a strong representation of the dynamic partnership between the brothers.

With 14 Steps To A Better You, we hear not just the bolstering of their partnership as musicians but a defining musical statement. It’s Lime Cordiale, summarised in 14 tracks. It incorporates the spirit of fun that’s driven the Leimbachs’ work to date, but sees them develop their songwriting in depth and nuance. Oli and Louis have always been self-aware when it comes to their lyricism - but here they’ve taken it up an extra notch.

Having spent much of the interim between their two records abroad, churning out joyous live show after joyous live show, regrouping back on home soil - with Permanent Vacation producer Dave Hammer - adds an extra level of depth to the final result. 

Sonically, the album maintains the laid-back nature that we know and expect from Lime Cordiale. It is easy to get lost in the freewheeling, carefree elements of the band’s pop arrangements; the skanked out vibes of ‘Screw Loose’ to the playful ‘No Plans To Make Plans’ landing as two great examples of the caution-to-the-wind vibe this album excels at.

14 Steps… doesn’t depict Lime Cordiale as perennial sunshine kids, though. The album works its way through a myriad of emotions: angst, heartbreak, lamentation and self-criticism rear their heads amongst each breezy melody and uplifting build. 

“We just felt like we were quite opinionated throughout the whole album and it just turned into this weird self-help guide,” they explained to triple j back in April.

‘No Plans To Make Plans’, a song about selfishness and losing one’s way, is still delivered with tongues firmly planted in cheeks.

“It’s about someone with a lot of power who’s not really using their power for good, whether it’s a politician or an influencer,” Lime Cordiale told Richard Kingsmill.

“When people are looking up to you, you should really be giving off a good message and be a good role model. It’s about someone who has lost their way, taken the wrong route or just lost perspective.”

Romanticism and reflection enter as significant players on 14 Steps…, as the second half of the album explores heartbreak, longing and relatability. Across ‘Dear London’, ‘Dirt Cheap’ and ‘Following Fools’, Lime Cordiale let the more chaotic pop sounds take a back seat as they explore more wistful swooning territory.

“Dear London I love you/But please don’t think it’s you I blame /It’s not even the weather /Wherever I go it seems to rain”

It’s these moments of heartfelt introspection that have made Lime Cordiale so endearing to many over the years. 

Though it’s been inspired by the self-help book model, 14 Steps To A Better You is really a manifesto of how Lime Cordiale’s general approach to music and connecting with people has strengthened and developed over the last three years.

Each contribution to this album is strong on its own: the complexities wrapped up in dense instrumentation, soulful vocal rumblings and commanding horn fills all come together to make a gorgeously well-rounded fuller picture. 

The album further asserts Lime Cordiale as strong champions of a broad musical spectrum that can be played with, broken down and reassembled and much more than that, it’s bloody fun.

Achieving a balance between the knockout banger and slow-burning nostalgia, Lime Cordiale have provided an album that remains accessible and a joy to get wrapped up in. And right now, that’s the type of music we need.

Review: Ceres - We Are A Team (2019) →

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, MAY 2019

There was a point in time when Ceres frontman Tom Lanyon was ready to give up on music. The Melbourne band who have won the hearts of many music fans around the country had struck such a chord with the release of their sophomore album, Drag It Down on You, it would make sense that the momentum would spur its successor on.

This wasn’t the case.

However, through periods of reflection and eventual inspiration, Lanyon began to write, specifically the single ‘Viv in the Front Seat’, and from there We Are a Team was born. The album is one about relationships, love and confidence; a sense of optimism shining through the darkness stands out as Ceres enter a triumphant new phase.

“I’m gonna get happy,” Lanyon sings on album opener ‘Marriage’. It’s a fitting gauntlet for the rest of the album to run as Ceres continue to operate at their heartstring-tugging best. ‘Me & You’ and ‘Something Good’ remain strong album highlights, yet We Are a Team is an album best digested whole. Longtime fans of the band will note the rich evolution of the Ceres sound here, while newcomers are being introduced to a band brought back from the brink and attacking their craft with renewed vigour and sincerity.

Out and About: Camp Cope - Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne

PHOTO CREDIT: Ian Laidlaw
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2018

The positive atmosphere inside the Thornbury Theatre was almost tangible, even upon early arrival. The venue, which looked better suited to a wedding function or old-school disco, had a distinctly DIY vibe to it at the show on Thursday March 15; blue neon lights shone down, while the stage was barely fitted out with anything aside from the backline. This isn’t a criticism by any means; the room felt more like the site of a massive house party, as opposed to the usual loftiness any gig with a venue ending in ‘Theatre’ generally indicates.

Erica Freas did a stunning job at opening the night, her music navigating the often emotionally unstable terrain of love, life and the challenges that come with both. She drew people in early on with a compelling acoustic set; sometimes you felt like you were being serenaded, other times you felt like this was a person pulling her heart out on stage. As the first of three acts to take the stage, Freas set the bar high early. Emotions needed to be braced from here on in.

Seattle four-piece Chastity Belt were next to impress; their music ticking the boxes of any indie-shoegaze fan. They held a sly grasp on guitar riffs and bass lines, while the vocals exuded a moody charm that was hard to ignore. The crowd had built considerably for the band by the time they hit their stride, and while the headliners were obviously the main drawcard, Chastity Belt left people impressed with a set that was jam-packed with clever lyricism, solid musicianship and a personable stage presence that played into the house party vibe mentioned above.

Camp Cope. The women who make up this band are perhaps some of the most targeted and maligned in Australian music currently, for simply speaking their truth and walking proudly in the light of it. New album How to Socialise & Make Friends is one of the most striking releases this half of 2018 and in overhearing conversations at this show, it was evident that it had struck a nerve with many in the crowd. It’s brutal, evocative and unashamedly unique in its approach, and sees Camp Cope express their anger and disappointment with many elements, whether socially, politically or personally speaking.

Guitar work became more urgent as Georgia Maq’s vocals became more furious (she had tonsillitis too, so big props to her), while drummer Sarah Thompson and bassist Kelly-Dawn Helmrich proved to be a strong and formidable duo, anchoring the set’s rhythmic base excellently throughout. While earlier material, particularly ‘Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams’ and ‘Keep Growing’, earned resounding responses, ‘How to Socialise & Make Friends’ was the main star of the show. Of course, when you have ‘The Opener’ in the mix, you can’t go wrong. The authenticity that backs Camp Cope’s music is going to win out over misogynistic and Neanderthal backlash each time. Thursday’s show proved that; singalongs were loud and impassioned, the delivery of the material heartfelt and confident. Can’t beat it.

Review: Solange - A Seat At The Table (2016)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE AU REVIEW, OCTOBER 2016

Solange Knowles‘ A Seat At The Table may very well be the album that brings the artist to breakthrough-levels of success but for those who have been following her music for the last few years, this 21-track epic is the result of a creative talent that has been thriving and developing outside the mainstream for quite some time.

The album is an unapologetic yet gorgeous illustration of what it means to be black and the challenges that come with being of colour, especially a woman of colour, today. A Seat At The Table also serves as a tool to remind people, especially newcomers, that Solange is much more than ‘the younger Knowles sister’ and occupies her own creative space. The album is a strong and defining moment for the artist who undoubtedly stands as a figure of admiration and strength for many young women and girls of colour and while she may not be twirling baseball bats into the windows of cars, Solange’s messages on A Seat At The Table ring out just as loud.

She urges the listener to thrive and be comfortable in our own uniqueness, despite whatever imperfections we’re born with on album opener “Rise” – the music is soft, a sentiment that is evident throughout much of A Seat At The Table, but Solange’s smoky, almost wispy thread of an R&B vocal streams through and hypnotises. Her calm and warm vocals wrap you up – she’s not aggressive, but she’s defiant. It’s a type of R&B that we’ve seen Blood Orange execute nigh on flawlessly this year and quite frankly, I’m stoked that it’s happened again with this album.

“Cranes In The Sky” and “Don’t Touch My Hair”, the two album tracks that recently had their music videos released are two of the most powerful on A Seat At The Table. Featuring Sampha, “Don’t Touch My Hair” channels the frustration any woman of colour is likely to have felt at least once – issues of privacy and ownership have been rife within black culture for centuries and as both Solange and Sampha chant, “What you say to me?” gently, their  response is pretty damn loud. “Don’t touch what’s there / When it’s the feelings I wear”, she warns – this an anthem for anyone who has felt like their culture has been relegated to public property or a novelty to be appropriated.

The interludes inserted through the album serve as good turning points and excellent perspective insights; from her parents Matthew Knowles and Tina Lawson going in on integration of schools in Alabama and reverse racism, to the iconic Master Pdetailing his own childhood and the formation of the No Limits label, the emphasis on the importance of self-ownership, empowerment and the ability to rise in the face of adversity is stressed in a flawless way.

Kelly Rowland, Kelela, Lil Wayne, The Dream, BJ The Chicago Kid, Nia Andrewsand Q-Tip feature on A Seat At The Table, highlighting the diverse range of influence Solange has operating in her circle, all weaving together excellently in this tapestry she’s created. There are moments on the album that hark back to her previous work, with songs like “Don’t Wish Me Well” easily being a tune that could have featured on 2012’s True.

What Solange has done with A Seat At The Table is two things that I can tell at this point: she’s created a record that, in an age of surprise releases and visual albums, stands strong in its subtlety and narrative. She’s also produced a collection of music that younger listeners who feel any less than their peers because of their skin colour can take as an album of empowerment, encouragement and celebration.

As she wrote in a blog post detailing her and her family’s experience at a Kraftwerkconcert this year, “We belong. We belong. We belong. We built this.”