'Hurtsville' by Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders [album review]

JACK LADDER & THE DREAMLANDERS – Hurtsville (Spunk)

Written by Krissi Weiss

Morose, dark, pessimistic – these are just a few words to describe Jack Ladder’s latest release, 'Hurtsville'.

He has moved away from the jangly energy of 2008’s 'Love Is Gone' (which did have its own darkness, mind you) and moved into slit-your-wrists territory. That said, the album doesn’t feel self-absorbed or angsty, just gloomy.

In an age were falsetto seems to be reigning supreme, Ladder brings a vocal timbre that is part Nick Cave and part Ian Curtis. He has a voice that can melt your heart while at the same time it can leave you feeling a little uneasy. The discomfort comes from the fact you are never sure where he is going to take you next and if you even want to go there. He moves in emotion that is often left behind when puberty ends and the task of following society’s protocol of toughening up takes over. But isn’t that what music is often about? Being able to escape into the depths of emotion that is raw and off limits.

The production of this album is something like the Donnie Darko soundtrack - it’s reverb-laden with gated drums and chorus rich guitars that feel a little ‘80s without the cheese. Songs like the title track, 'Blinded By Love' and 'Giving Up The Giving Up' come in at over seven minutes and seem to need that time to tell their respective stories. Dark it may be, but indulgent it is not and that is what makes this album enjoyable as opposed to banal.

This article was originally published in Rave Magazine http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/