Album Reviews

• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Here We Rest
Lightning Rod Records

Jason Isbell might be better known as a former member of Drive-By Truckers, but with the help of a recent support slot for fellow American alt-country star Ryan Adams and the release of Here We Rest, the Alabama musician might just gain more than a few fans of his songwriting. Working in a genre that tempts generic cast-offs, Isbell keeps well above the average by way of excellent lyricism that mixes sentiment with specific details (Codeine and others) while occasionally flourishing a fingerstyle guitar technique that verges on faultless (Daisy Mae).

Single download: Tour of Duty
For those who like: Steve Earle

- Shane Gilchrist

• Paul Winders and the Goodness
Boy Dust
Dunedinmusic.com

Paul Winders, guitarist in The Verlaines from 1991 to 2008, has once again recruited friends and family (in a loose collection he calls "the Goodness") for his second album, Boy Dust.

Complementing the breezy guitar jangle of 2009 debut You Can Have It All, his latest effort, overall, is more complex and assured. From the bouncy basslines, sinuous lead guitar and warm harmonies of C.O. and Dotted Line to the languid acoustic guitar of Find You, there is evidence of a songwriter in full control of his craft.

Single download: Happy Man
For those who like: The Clean, The Go Betweens

- Shane Gilchrist

• The Dead Leaves
Cities On the Sea
Liberation 

Former Dunedin songwriter Matt Joe Gow leads his Melbourne-based Dead Leaves on a musical journey that is both celebratory and complex.

Given free rein on Cities On the Sea, guitarist Andrew Pollock throws forth swirls of electrically charged texture as Joe Gow adopts a baritone croon that, despite the seemingly relaxed delivery, acts as a melodic tractor beam amid the various angular (and inventive) rhythms at play, from the cunningly crafted chorus of opener If The Shoe Fits to a dark rendition of the Talking Heads hit This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody).

Single download: Harm
For those who like: Bryan Ferry meets The Smiths

- Shane Gilchrist