The Stars, If You Look Closely
This Melbourne, Australia-based outfit has an interesting history. Three of the original members were in a synth-pop band called Schizo Scherzo back in the yesteryear. That band eventually broke up, but about a decade and a half ago they had a chance reunion and instantly re-bonded over their shared passion for the music on the album and movie O Brother Where Art Thou. They soon were back in business as the Stetson Family with acoustic instruments. They added a couple of additional members along the way and have since, deservedly, become a presence on the international music scene.
The current lineup includes: Nadine Budge, lead vocals, guitar, resonator guitar; John Bartholomeusz, harmonies, guitar; Colin Swan, harmonies, banjo; Greg Field, harmonies, fiddle, mandolin; and Luke Richardson, harmonies and double bass.
On their fourth album, and first in nine years, the band is in its full glory with a set of all-original songs deeply rooted in the Americana/bluegrass mold, with hints of rock and country. In fact, some of these songs sound like they’d fit right into the back catalogue of legendary outfits like The Band or the Nitty Gritty Dirty Band.
The songs are replete with timeless themes and vivid imagery and resonate with rawness and muscularity. Yet they also often have an underlying texture of yearning and spirituality. Budge, the lead singer, has a finely nuanced yet lived-in style that deftly conveys these counter-balancing aesthetics.
For instance, there’s a pair of spot-on gospel numbers—“Angel’s Hand” and “Make Me Ashes”—that really connect in a big way. “Lonesome Valley” is a heartfelt song about someone who has lost their way in the big city and longs to return to the old home place. “The Other Side” is an eerie wild west saga about a frontier-style execution gone bad. “Heading West” is a mysterious, other-worldly tale that resonates on several levels. These same emotional strands also imbue a lively instrumental called “Nightfall.”
There’s a soothing sense of deliverance in the title song, which was cowritten by Budge and late founding member, Andy Carswell, to whom this project is dedicated.
