Returning with long-time producer Greg Wales, this is record number eight for Sydney-Melbourne rock quartet You Am I. Their first since the beautifully grubby rock romp of 2006’s Convicts, this album isn’t really about hooks, or traditional pop/rock song structure. It’s a subtler creature, requiring a few listens before you really tap into the pulse of each number.
The title track begins with a poignant acoustic folk melody. Dilletantes is a ballad full of layers – swelling at points with cymbals, strings and handclaps. Though it’s a delicate opener, it has the kind of understated power that travels through the entire album. For those not in the know, lead singer/guitarist Tim Rogers defines a dilettante as someone “who dabble[s] in appreciation of arts or culture” and has “a deep love for works, or performers.” Givin’ Up and Gettin’ Fat is a criticism of the superficialities of the music sphere that often obscure that “deep love”. It’s a self-deprecating second-guessing of the glamour behind playing the rock star – “Who died and made me king of all the sea / who pissed off and made this princess out of me/ Should give up, get fat, forget the fucking romance.”
It’s nice to hear that Rogers isn’t all ego. Still, you can’t help but feel a little disappointed that the lyrics suggest he’s running out of steam after playing with the group since 1989. Fortunately the tune itself is a fairly solid antithesis, with its steady bassline thuds and overdriven guitar melodies. Rogers’ strangely youthful voice strains as he reaches for the high notes. While that might seem a bad thing, it’s actually one of the reasons the album works so well.
You Am I have always been more concerned with song writing than overly-technical exhibitionism. The songs have been constructed very carefully but they’re also playful and a little ragged around the edges. While Erasmus probably stands out as a commercial single, it isn’t the highlight of the album. This record is best seen in its entirety as a laidback piece of swaggering pop-rock.
Sometimes when bands have been around for a long time it feels like they’re tapping the bottom of a sauce bottle that just doesn’t have a drop left. Well, You Am I still has the goods. If the tune Frightfully Moderne is anything to go by, the group are pretty bloody aware of it – “You ain’t seen the best of us”. While hardcore fans might have expected something a bit grittier from their latest effort, Dilettantes won’t leave them heartbroken. The album is a cruisey addition to You Am I’s pretty impressive musical CV. If you don’t like it, you’ll probably love it.
Dilletantes is out now through EMI.
grattan
said on the 30th Sep, 2008