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
- Currently 4/5 Stars.
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