grinspoon six to midnight

Released: 04 July 2011 Label: DR2 Records

Australia’s finest multi-platinum selling artists Grinspoon, have once again taken charge of the studio and woven together their golden award winning album, Six to Midnight. So forget the golden sun, forget the golden sand because the Australians have found something else to shine about!

To break the ice of the album, we get the song Dogs. It literally does put you in gear for what’s to be unleashed. With the intense drum roll intro meshed with the build-up on guitars, the song leaves you edgy as to what kind of explosion lies over the next few bars.  With the cut the crap attitude induced through the song, it is a perfect choice to open with!

To keep up with the fast pace, what a better song to write but Run. The gritty, air punching opening certainly doesn’t give the album that ‘second song setback’! Jamieson’s vocals are cracking anyway, but by reaching those ‘ooo, ooo’ notes the guy deserves a pretty big round of applause!

The album turns its first corner with track three, Comeback. With its chirpy and quirky simple riffs rattling round, it is a ‘smile and tilt your head from side to side’ song. Still no complaints, I mean come on, they have gone gold after all! (I did mention that didn’t I?)

Leaping to the fourth stepping stone of the album, we go back to that ‘throw caution to the wind’ image. It damn well works! Takes One to Know One is simply one of those songs that dominates an audience. If you were at a gig, it would certainly be one for the encore!

Still not slowing down, Premonitions is very much of a ‘hell hath no fury over a woman scorned’ hit! The sharp licks and its teasing drum beats don’t slack off at all; put it this way, it’s the type of song Cat Woman would listen to as she puts her claws on!

No song should sound the same; check the rulebook! Give You More has done an impressive job to make sure that didn’t happen! Unlike the previous speedy and spicy songs, Give You More has a tinny, loose almost ‘cowboyish’ thing going on. They’ve done a damn fine job too!

Here Tonight shows a completely different side again. By flashing around a volcanic eruption of thoroughbred distortion, a few swearwords and chalky vocals, the band has cranked out a vulgar display of their heavier side. It’s ‘mix and match’, but whatever they’ve done, it mixes and matches!

For a sequel, Passenger links perfectly. With its heavy, trudging pace, it’s without doubt got the ‘crush everything in your way like a monster truck’ image about it.

Second to last we finally get the angelic-ish Summer. It’s very much of a ‘wind down and feel good’ song. It just simmers down the album nicely; it’s the lullaby of the album. Mind you, it wouldn’t send you to sleep!

To seal the deal, the short, “un-sweet” Champion (Rick Will Mix), drains the last few notes from the album. That switch from ‘goodnight sweetheart’, to the feisty ‘good night all you **!?**!*!!’ brings a cheeky giggle at how they sneakily go out with a bang.

It’s not just the musical capability pumping through each track that makes it a good album; it’s also the fact that they are musical chameleons! Either six to fright night or six to sunlight, Six to Midnight is the one that would stay up all night!

by Kathryn Longbottom