Listening Post: Beck/Sam Smith/Moses Sumney/Shed Seven

Beck

Colors

(Warner)

★★★1/2 

For an artist whose 30-year musical journey careens wildly between genres, defying classification at every step, I'm not sure what the most surprising part of Colors is - that at 47, Beck has chosen to record a seemingly sincere take on modern pop, or that it works as well as it does. The pedigree of his co-writer, Greg Kurstin, makes this choice more obvious. Kurstin is one of the handful of relatively invisible "hitmakers" who have produced most of the chart-topping content in the past decade - with Kurstin, this includes Adele and Sia. Underneath the mirror-sheen production, it's surprisingly organic, with clearly identifiable instrumentation that could be played live by a four-piece band. But, this would be better experienced in a big car on a summer road-trip - it's breezy and joyful. Tracks like Dreams, Colors and Up All Night sound vibrant and contemporary, with giant hooks in the choruses. There are exceptions to the formula, which have mixed results - Dear Life is good, but could have come from a Ben Folds Five album in the 90s. Elsewhere, I'm So Free feels undercooked; and Wow toys unwisely with a synth bamboo flute and trap beats. One other track forges its own path in a very special way - Fix Me is contemplative, and is one of the best tracks on offer. One disclaimer - as a body of work, Colors is somewhere between ephemeral and disposable. Then again, many great things - like pop, and summer flings - often are.

James Cardno 

Sam Smith

The Thrill of It All

Capitol

★★★ 

Having spent the last three years at the forefront of pop-o-sphere, Smith is certainly breeding success with success. Three years after his debut he doesn't take any esoteric risks but still has a fresh approach to songwriting in which he doesn't feel the need to rely on booming and excessive production. And that's what he sets him apart from many of his pop counterparts. The Thrill of It All has an approach to instrumentation that's purely the concrete foundation, not the timber and the bricks.  Smith isn't taking pop and soul into uncharted waters but he rides the winds adequately nonetheless.

Hugh Collins 

Moses Sumney 

Aromanticism 

(Jagjaguwar/The Label) 

★★★

Few on this side of the world would have had any idea who Moses Sumney was this time last year. The Los Angeles based soul singer/songwriter is on the rise fast and will even hit these shores in January as part of the Laneway Festival. And what a sight he will likely be because this debut is certainly impressive. Sumney's voice is fresh without being inaccessible and pure without being watered down. With a minimal approach to production, Aromanticism pulls you into an eclectic soul filled world where Radiohead and Bon Iver are as much an influence as Nina Simone and D'Angelo. There's a strong impression Sumney has a fairly eclectic taste of music. Bring on Laneway 2018. 

Hugh Collins

Shed Seven

Instant Pleasures

(BMG)

★★1/2

When Britpop dominated the charts in the '90s, Shed Seven were one of the many bands in the trough behind the cresting wave. They had a good ear for a tune, a handful of popular singles, and a charismatic frontman in Rick Witter, but they lacked the oomph to be more than a footnote. Returning in 2017 - 16 years after their last album was released - they're still in that pocket. Their songs are tuneful, well crafted and a bit dull. Tracks like Room In My House work best, where the band channel a more modern, Kasabian-like sound. The frustration is that Instant Pleasures never transcends being "fine" - and with their talent, they surely have a great album in them. This, however, isn't it.

James Cardno