The Redsunband - The Shiralee (2008)

By Matt James

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The rumours are true; theredsunband new album is pretty special.

Fresh off the shelves after what seems like some time getting it there; Sydney’s current favourite indie-sisters-and-a-bloke combo (Sarah & Lizzie Kelly, Jasper Fenton) deliver the goods with a brash sophomore confidence and sombre streak.

In other words it’s pretty much a natural, progressive step from their first album, but with a handy new drummer.

"The Shiralee" is an attractive package beginning with the CD layout featuring Sarah’s simple but effective artwork, through to the production afforded partly due to her 2006 APRA Jessica Michalik Music Endowment ($10K grant).

Producer Dean "Dirt" Turner returns - quite possibly this time in actual shoes with Tim Whitten and Don Bartley also amongst the bigger names, but most important is the overall standard of the songs, which are consistently cool, hot or somehow both at once.

As an album it aint perfect but it is fairly damn impressive.

There’s something very Little Birdy about all this, the sound, the production, the overall improvement. I can’t quite put my finger on it; then I find out Little Birdy’s Katy Steele was the previous winner of the exact same APRA grant previously, which can only mean one thing...

A conspiracy?

No, it means girls + guitars = grants. Surely that’s good.

With ten tracks clocking up just over half an hour the redsunparty ends well before midnight.

Pleasant third track Won’t See You hits the album’s brakes about one song too early, meanwhile eternal crowd-pleaser The Eagle lands itself pretty late at number eight. Minor track listing gripes are forgotten with disc opener Like an Arrow plus so-good-they-could-be-singles Heartbreaker and It’s So Heavy which incidentally, aint so heavy at all.

Less commercial tunes hold their own as adequate filler, least of which the title track’s long held notes and lethargic tempo tending to wear thin. There’s the eclectic cover Bill Callaghan’s Bathysphere, plus a very likeable Breeders road trip feel on Steer Your Helm Away.

This is red-sunny, moody-moon prog.pop rock from theredsunband, just as satisfying as any other mid-winter sun worth basking in. 

RATING: 3 out of 5

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