U2 360-Degree Tour, Etihad Stadium, December 3, 2010

****

They've transcended the generations, released a dozen studio albums and, it seems, a zillion singles. They're one of the few bands who, if you attempted your top 20 songs of theirs, you'd still be leaving out some of your faves. Certainly, Ireland's greatest export (Guinness aside) had to make some ruthless cuts to restrict their show to 24 songs at a balmy, open-roofed Etihad Stadium last Friday night. But while such tracks as Angel of Harlem, Bad, Desire, Gloria, and Pride (In the Name of Love) were absent, there was an abundance of energy, showmanship and multi-million-dollar stage production (wonder how much The Claw would cost to hire for a bucks party?) instilled into the remaining classics - and some of the occasional filler - to compensate. Highlights (aside from easy bar access and arriving to Jay Z enrapturing the stadium with his modern classic New York State of Mind) included Until the End of the World (The Edge's twitchy funk riff rocked the stadium), a stripped back Stuck in a Moment, a remarkable and moving Miss Sarajevo (Bono's take on Pavarotti's vocal line was goosebump-sprouting stuff), and, of course, Where the Streets Have No Name. Post-punk-era singles I Will Follow and New Year's Day were both raw and authoritative. Passionate and overtly political, Dublin's stadium rock icons balanced passion with precision in an awesome display.

Review: Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
Stone Temple Pilots
Atlantic Records

***

Most bands from the early-to-mid '90s grunge-rock boom have either fallen by the wayside or reinvented themselves to stay in the game. Stone Temple Pilots – whose three failed attempts at matching their 1994 classic Purple, coupled with frontman Scott Weiland's heroin addiction, led to their seperation in 2003 – attempt to buck the trend on this self-produced comeback. What we get, however, is vintage STP: crunching, retro-guitar riffs (Dare if you Dare's chorus recalls Mott The Hoople's All The Young Dudes), bluesy swaggers and lashings of melodic grunge. Renewed spirit drives opening tracks Between the Lines and Take A Load Off, and the sunshine pop of Cinnamon is surprisingly effective, but, for the main, it's a mid-strength effort.

Key track: It's not Interstate Love Song, but diehards will embrace Take A Load Off.

Review: Hugh Sheridan - Speak Love

SPEAK LOVE
Hugh Sheridan
Sony

* 1/2

Remember the late 1980s, when a cluster of male TV stars tried earnestly to follow Kylie into pop stardom? Well, two decades on, it's still happening. With this destined-for-bargain-basement debut, Packed to the Rafters' Sheridan shows that while his voice offers shards of masculine soul, as a package he's doomed to join the likes of Stefan Dennis in the cross-over junkyard (although Don't It Make you Feel Good? was a piss-take, wasn't it?).
Syrupy, coming-of-age sentiment dominate most of the 12 tracks, but more notably in the album's latter half, where Sheridan breaks the mid-tempo, R&B mould with an attempted replica of Cake's classic Short Skirt, Long Jacket. Caviar in a roadhouse warmer wouldn't be more out of place.

Key track: Those drawn to Sheridan's on-screen charm should start petitioning to Sony for the soulful Higher Love to be next single; it's clearly the best thing on here.

All India Radio - A Low High

A LOW HIGH
All India Radio
Inevitable Records

****

Sometimes it's nice not to hear the wail and drone of the human vocal. All India Radio – the decade-long project of Melbourne-based Martin Kennedy – are proof that ambient soundscapes and lavish intrumental forays can indeed take the place of a singer's tortured soul. A Low High will envelope you in a warm cloud. At first dopey and Pink Floydian, they quickly draw you into a soothing trance that lasts the duration. Later there are nods to '90s Portishead and to that of their acronym namesake, French band Air. Equal parts stoner and euphoric, this is take-you-anywhere music for anyone who has ever felt.

Key track: Lucky - just when you're thinking Dark Side of the Moon reborn, out jumps this forlorn reverb guitar and violin riff. Stunning.

Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

ONLY REVOLUTIONS
Biffy Clyro
14th Floor Records

*** 1/2

When a trio of Scottish lads call themselves Biffy Clyro (I assumed a country singer with emo tendencies) one can't help but raise an eyebrow. Fortunately, the unexpected is also highly listenable. Once opening track The Captain (a silly, Fall Out Boy rip-off) is bypassed, this is a clever and string-laden rock offering that delivers on four previous albums' worth of hype. The gorgeous chord changes of Bubbles and Many of Horror and the unrelenting Cloud of Stink best showcase the band's musicanship and diversity – and help conceal Simon Neil's often questionable lyrics. And while UK hit Mountains has been getting airplay and fits our FM mould, That Golden Rule, with its mad violin conclusion, probably doesn't.

Key track: Mountains. Any song with lyrics such as “I am the mountain, I am the sea” demands the sound be equitable. Fortunately it is.

Muse - Absolution (2003)

ABSOLUTION
Muse
Taste Media

**** 1/2

The music world knew Muse had been building towards something big after the rumbling, prog-rock crescendos of their first two albums, Showbiz and Origins of Symmetry. On Absolution, Matt Bellamy uses the best elements of those early offerings as a solid base in producing the overblown, but beautiful opus that seemed their destiny. The heavier moments, most notably Stockholm Syndrome and Hysteria, come with an artillery of bass-driven guitars that don't shroud the melodies, while quieter moments such as Endlessly and Falling Away with You give dopeheads time to reflect. Everything in between - including the fuzzy, bass-driven Time is Running Out, the urgent Thoughts of a Dying Athiest, and the inspirational epic Butterflies & Hurricanes (complete with haunting piano interlude) - is quite simply, marvellous.

Key track: Hard to split Stockholm Syndrome and Butterflies & Hurricanes, but I'll give the former the nod: it possesses the rare ability to satiate the heart and make one want to run through brick walls.