Since putting out their powerfully vivid debut album, The Broken Needles have relocated from Townsville to Melbourne and have put out record number two.
A track by track, blow by blow review of The Broken Needles latest CD, Holy Coast.
In a lot of ways Holy Coast picks up where Terra Nullius left off. The album continues the epic journey through the Australian outback with all its spacious and barren beauty on display courtesy of the vivid atmospheric sounds.This time round he music has more of a country / folk focus led by the steel fabrication which is complemented nicely with a soft somber set of strings.
In addition to the mesmerising soundtrack, the narrative across the tracks paint a bleak picture of breakdown, isolation, and lunacy. The bleakness is emphasised by enormous conviction through Mick Galloway’s deep, strong (but at times quivering) baritone vocals. His rugged, gritty delivery of the works makes you feel every bit of emotion as it is expressed.
The Great Divide sets the scene sets the scene for the album. The slow burning textures makes you feel like you are floating over the Great Dividing Range while the low vocals add an extra layer of rural atmosphere.
Bound To Fade is a stunning duet featuring the beautiful vocals of Laura Morgan. The back and forth chorus of “I Will Not” / “Yes you will” puts the uneasy tension and ultimate frailty expressed in the song on display for all to see.
Cemetery is a gritty garage, post punk-rock offering that sees he heavy guitars take centre stage while Headstream is a vibrant country effort that shows up a powerful Northern Australia soundscape.
This is an amazing second album that more than lives up to the high expectations set by the bands phenomenal debut. The band have achieved a collection of amazing sounds and textures resulting in a dark, bleak but ultimately moving journey.
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