Powderfinger

great review j!

You’ve got to hand it to Powderfinger. After 7 albums, they still know how to deliver the goods!

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from my first listen of their latest offering Golden Rule. Their previous album, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence had seemed to depart somewhat from the riff-based rock and distinctive melodies of Vulture Street and Odyssey Number Five; albums I consider to be two of their finest, to explore a more rhythmic and vocally untouched version of their trademark sound.

So I was pleasantly surprised to hear Golden Rule give a healthy nod to all three of its predecessors. From the riff-driven hit single All of the Dreamers and classic rhythms of Stand Yourself, to the harmonious campfire sound of Poison In Your Mind, there’s a bit of everything on offer for dedicated Finger fans and newcomers alike.

Lyrically, Golden Rule is everything we have come to expect from The Finger. Not one to mix words when putting pen to paper, Bernard Fanning wastes no time in putting his heart on the table and offering us a window to see the world through his eyes for 40 minutes or so.

Honesty and poetry blend beautifully to address the topics that matter to him the most. Love, loss, pain and challenge to the mediocre mindset. Not to mention his disdain for political agenda at the expense of genuine human interest.

In a time when it’s virtually impossible to flick the commercial radio switch without feeling saturated by the meaningless rhyme and mechanical grind of the proverbial pop machine; it’s refreshing to see these five guys from Brisbane retain their identity as a band who unapologetic-ally create music that comes from the heart instead of compromising to please the masses.

Long may they last!

:: Josh Stanes ::

Golden Rule, the seventh studio effort from Australian rock powerhouses Powderfinger, is a solid contribution to their catalogue. It's a comfortable work, drifting from swaggery rock tracks like Jewel to the finger-picking Simon & Garfunkel-influenced folk of Poison In Your Mind. The 80's-flavoured Iberian Dream kicks along in a satisfying groove, and upcoming single Burn Your Name is classic Aussie rock. The improvement in Fanning's vocals overall is impressive; his solo stint has helped Powderfinger's sound to mature, and seems to have given him a confidence with his vocal work which was not as evident in the band’s earlier efforts.

Lead single All of the Dreamers isn't the strongest song on the album- A-side sleeper A Fight About Money is a strong, strutting homage to 70's Bowie, combining melodic flair with a deceptively simple yet driving support from the rhythm section. If they release a third single, this should be it.

Individually, the songs on Golden Rule aren’t Powderfinger’s strongest. As an album, however, it’s a convincing argument for the format; on first listen, the songs don’t stick in your head, but they make you tap your feet. Golden Rule is a grower rather than a knockout, and needs a couple of listens to really make an impression.

At this stage in Powderfinger’s career, they’re safe. They don’t need to take risks to sell albums, and that’s where this album is something of a letdown- there’s a familiarity to the sound that speaks of complacency rather than a burning need to create, and the songs lack that spark that made albums like Vulture Street such landmarks. Of course, with the band’s return from hiatus, they had to release an album, and the touches of genius on Golden Rule make it much more than just a compromise.

-Jennifer Davis