Album #49 : You Am I - You Am I

You Am I

You Am I (2010)

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Tim Rogers, and by extension You Am I, are amongst Australia's most acclaimed musicians of the past 25 years. While their heyday was arguably during the 90s, when they released hit album after hit album, the group has continued to be quite prolific, releasing albums regularly (albeit without the same chart success). Rogers, too, has shown himself to be one of the country's most hard working rockers, continuing to record, perform and tour and, somehow, fit in TV and film appearances also.

Their most recent studio album, a self-titled effort, was released in 2010 to...well, not much, really. It hit the charts at 18 and plummeted, while media coverage was fairly minimal. It's a sign perhaps that for You Am I, there's very little they can do to attract wide coverage - they're seen as too old and unhip for JJJ, not 'commercial' enough or with enough 'cut-through' for mainstream rock radio, and while I'm sure community radio are big supporters (because the feeling is fairly mutual, if Rogers' community involvements and pronouncements are a guide), not enough people listen to community radio to make any difference. 

Rather than tackle Hi-Fi Way or Hourly Daily (the obvious albums) I wanted to listen to a more contemporary You Am I record. I suppose I'm looking to find out why a band, once massive, have seemingly been dropped like a stone by all but the diehard fans.

The Album

You won't find eleven tracks of balls to the wall rock and roll on this album. The 2010 You Am I are a band that favour subtlety over obviousness, substance over style. The overarching theme of the music is rooted in 60s and 70 guitar pop/rock and its many subsidiaries; think The Kinks, The Jam and Britpop. Rogers himself; who I've always found to be a charismatic yet abrasive vocalist; floats through the album with some gorgeously sweet vocal stylings. The abrasive rock and roller is barely seen. Instead, it's Rogers playing songbird and doing it magnificently.

Another common musical theme (and, I must say, a thoroughly enjoyable one) is the use of unusual, and occasionally discordant, key choices and chord progressions. Considering Rogers has gone on record as saying he writes with a capo as it allows him to write in different keys, it's hardly surprising. Nevertheless, it makes some songs momentarily jarring but always engaging.

The opening two tracks both feature some of those intriguing chord progressions. We Hardly Knew You and Kicking the Balustrade - possibly the first song ever to have the word 'balustrade' in the title - are both mellow, laid-back tunes, and act as a gentle welcome to the album. From there the music treads down those 60s/70s pop/rock lanes, with Lie and Face The Sun, the very solid The Good Ones (featuring more dissonant chords, harder-edged riffs and a terrific washy-sounding chorus) and the tuneful Shuck, another highlight for Rogers' vocal.

Then, though, there's a mildly seismic shift in tone. Crime delves into more foreboding territory, using another odd chord sequence (which is almost atonal at times) and an effects-heavy vocal, making Rogers sound like some sort of distant breathy stalker. Late on, there's a section where Rusty Hopkinson's drums enter, supporting a darkly vicious guitar riff. It's quite a visceral - and bloody terrific - tune. Following that is The Ocean, which continues the dark theme, with a sludgy, thick, low-end guitar riff that wouldn't have been out of place on Sabbath's Master of Reality. However, that riff is in the second half of the track; the first half punctuates the vocal lines with a cool (different) riff, and has shades of Britpop in its overall sound. Another great tune.

Then there's two tracks that are full of English rock sensitivities. The mod/punk flavoured Pinpricks sees Rogers channel Paul Weller, producing a catchy toetapper with a steady guitar riff (and even manages to fit in a Laurie Anderson/O Superman reference - well played, sir.) Waiting To Be Found Out is moody guitar pop, with a wall of guitars and keys making up the sound. It's very reminiscent of mid to late 60s Kinks work, around the time that Ray Davies decided he would be a genuine songsmith and not just an angry guitar song composer.

Penultimate track Trigger Finger is the album's weakest moment, and even that features the word 'grist' in the lyrics (SERIOUSLY. GRIST. I AM IN AWE. THAT IS NOT SARCASM. GRIST.) It's pleasant enough, and Rogers' vocal is sublime....but it's not up to the standard of the other tracks. Finally there's Let's Not Get Famous, a lush ballad that uses mainly piano and keyboard chords for the bulk of its musical meat, while Rogers continues to almost croon over the top. (There's another great 'word' in the lyric too - ridonkulous. AMAZEBALLS)

The Verdict

You Am I is an album worth your time. It refers to the past without basking in it, and creates enough fantastic musical moments to elevate it just beyond the average. It does not compare to the band's earlier, more 'commercially successful' work....but in my view, it doesn't seek to. To the credit of Rogers and Co., they aren't looking to just make Hourly, Daily II, preferring to expand and grow.

It's an album that deserves to be heard more, as it still shows You Am I to be one of Australia's best rock/pop bands (they might hate the term pop, but in terms of the group's sound and ability to create tuneful hooks, I think it fits, but strictly in a 60s and 70s guitar pop sense). 

So check it out. If you search hard enough, you'll find it streaming on the band's website. It's very worthwhile.

My rating: *** and a half

Standout Tracks

Crime

The Ocean

The Good Ones

Tomorrow, we revisit a 90s classic and bask in its amazing glory.