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Youth Group: Coming into their own
In a world of overnight sensations that you fondly recollect while on vacation and shuffling through your 60 GB iPod, there's something very refreshing about Youth Group.
Australians have known for some time that the best chocolate biscuit on the planet is the Tim Tam and wisely have kept it to themselves. Not so with their best bands.
Forming in the late nineties and releasing their debut, Urban and Eastern (2001) Youth Group created for themselves a small but dedicated following. The follow up, Skeleton Jar (2003) moved things up a notch both in production and in reach for the band. Catching the attention of Brett Gurewitz at Epitaph, the band were signed for the US and European markets and before you could say, "cross-over" the band's electrifying sleeper, Shadowland had appeared on the then credible, The OC.
Meanwhile, the picture grew in their native country to the point where they were touring the nation with a little band called Coldplay and preparing themselves for an ARIA win (Australia's answer to the Grammy's) for their #1 single, Forever Young. Check out the music video to Forever Young - an Alphaville cover - which features some salvaged skateboarding footage from the 70s.
style="font-weight: bold; ">Casino Twilight Dogs finds Toby Martin in his element; storytelling in a unique and captivating style that transcends geography and era. His vocals, smooth, assured and capable both of power and fragility navigate the melodies in his mind with finesse.
Wayne Connolly (You Am I, The Vines) at the production helm again and Rob Schnapf at the mixing desk (Elliott Smith, Guided By Voices) provide suitable companionship to Youth Group's many textured tracks.
Let It Go sees Martin indulge in his long-time appreciation of Dylan pleading, "All your cracks are beginning to show". In Sorry we find Martin questioning the nature of a relationship that has come to a close and Start Today Tomorrow is nothing short of an instant classic dripping in melancholy. Like a 4am epiphany it reaches the dizzying, heart achingly beautiful heights of songwriting comparable to an Elliott Smith or a Nick Drake. The instantly familiar Dead Zoo and soon-to-be-indie-dancefloor-filler Under The Underpass underpin the album as a step forward for a band wanting to avoid being prematurely convicted of sticking to the safety of ground previously covered.
If your Best Of 2007 list is currently empty, this may well be your first contender.
****1/2 (4.5 stars)
To hear Casino Twilight Dogs in its entirety, click here.
Casino Twilight Dogs is released on Anti/ Epitaph on January 23.
Tags:
Australian Bands, Coldplay, Elliott Smith, Epitaph, Guided By Voices, New Music, Nick Drake, Rob Schnapf, The Vines, Wayne Connelly, You Am I, Youth Group
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Posted on 1/17/2007
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