You Am I 'Dilletantes'

Posted in MUSIC by Ben on Sep 19, 03:30PM

It's easy for a band whose status guarantees them a healthy niche to slowly acquire a default setting. For You Am I, at various points, it was a case of bourbon-and-blues riffs, ragged glory and the belief that defiance is the only emotional nourishment you need; sometimes legendary status merely means giving people what they expect. Energy and the idiosyncrasies of Tim Rogers' songwriting meant there was plenty to enjoy on their discs but there's long been another side to his considerable talent that is thankfully displayed on the quartet's eighth studio album.

Dilettantes isn't toned down, it's focused: the songs were crafted, with Rogers singing instead of screaming. The sensuous, evocative swell of the title track sets the agenda as the disc takes in burnished '70s guitar-pop ("Beau Geste"), transistor radio guitar hooks ("Frightfully Moderne") and neatly shaped T-Rex-isms ("Wankers").

A mature, emotionally invigorating pop album, a counterpart to the wide-eyed thrills of their 1995 masterpiece Hi Fi Way. For once, Rogers doesn't feel the need to match the young gunslingers, making clear that experience is revelatory in the right hands. This is a welcome and worthy surprise.
-Craig Mathieson