The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
Every Tuesday, the Sounding Board is a space for a short-ish review of an upcoming or recent-ish release and conversations about new-to-you music. We’ll get things started with a write-up about a newer, likely underheard album, and invite you to share your music musings in the comments.
Some find ooey-gooey comfort in steaming spoonfuls of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Nostalgic bliss waits for others in the folds of a long-cherished blanket. For me, amber-hued contentment flows from my comfort genre — nebbish indie rock.
That’s exactly what Radio Free Alice has on tap for the Australian quartet’s debut long-player, What’s in Between.1 It’s the sort of overly sensitive, often lovesick and sometimes self-excoriating music that arguably peaked in the first half of the ‘00s and has intermittently been in vogue ever since. What’s In Between isn’t an especially elevated take on the material, but it’s a wholly competent one— sometimes even a bit better than that — and that’s enough to make it an LP I kind of like.
The album’s best moments come from interplay between vocalist Noah Learmonth and guitarist Jules Paradiso, making the Smiths an obvious point of comparison for what it sounds like Radio Free Alice is trying to do, especially since Learmonth tends to croon like Morrissey played at 1.25 speed. However, Learmonth favors direct statements and diaristic snippets in lieu of the sort of bon mots that become hilarious in the mouths of Peanuts characters, and Paradiso doesn’t embrace an especially jangly style of play.
Instead, What’s In Between’s sonic vocabulary includes phrases and tics prevalent 20 years ago with prominent bass. This makes sense since Radio Free Alice worked on the album in phases starting with producer Ewan Pearson, then revisiting the project with producer Peter Katis and finishing it off with Finn Billingham.2 Pearson’s credits include work with Depeche Mode, the Rapture and Franz Ferdinand. Katis has worked on a ton of stuff — a lot of it great. Maybe most relevant for this project’s sound are LP’s with Interpol, Tokyo Police Club and Frightened Rabbit, Billingham’s credits are more sparse and include Sunken, Highschool and his solo project Spiritbone. It would be interesting to be able to A-B versions of the album entirely helmed by Pearson or Katis to see what was lost and gained. The version of What’s In Between that does exist sounds a lot closer to Katis’ past work than Pearson’s, but there’s some thump in the mix that might date back to an early draft of the album.
In any case, it sounds clean, cohesive and spotlights Radio Free Alice’s charms.
The way album-opener “Crying With You,” emerges from a fog of hazy creaks, squeaks and buzz before hitting its stride as something that splits the difference between so-called “indie sleaze” and college rock is instructive. So too is What’s In Between’s title track is representative of the album’s sound and one of its stronger songs. Its chorus bears a resemblance to “Razorblade” by the Strokes,3 and therefore Barry Manilow’s “Mandy,” which makes for a catchy, instantly familiar melody that eventually becomes a layered sing-along supported by high guitar chords that expand the sense of scale.
It’s derivative but effective. While that’s unlikely to be a choice pull quote to promote the album, it reflects its appeal.
People with firm opinions about “landfill indie” hierarchies, defined thoughts on the relative merits of the soundtracks for mid-2000s EA Sports games and anyone else who takes solace in banal guitar-led music will find a track or two to carry forward to playlists.
About the writer
Ben Hohenstatt
Ben Hohenstatt is an Alaska-based dog owner who moonlights as a music writer and photographer.
For more information, consult your local library or with parental permission visit his website.
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The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
Department of
Conversation
What did we watch?
Superstore, Season Two, Episode Twelve, “Rebranding”
“Wow, the song is a little longer than I realised… what was that, eleven minutes?”
“Twelve.”
“I personally blame all the yoghurt they eat.”
“This is not a good time in my life for this. Rachel just broke up with me.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“Like a stretched out Danny Devito.”
“Please do. You’re management. So you’re most at fault here.”
“So have you decided who you’re going to take this out on later, because last time it was me?”
“I’m a Cloud Nine rewards member, it’s alright.”
“Should I be embarrassed I pronounce it the way native Cubanas pronounce it or???”
“You should be.”
“Looks like a normal sized suit to me.”
“All those words and you said absolutely nothing.”
“What are you doing? What is that? Is that something you’ve practiced?”
“Just a couple times in the mirror, alright, don’t stress about it!”
Kind of funny to have characters invested in Jonah keeping a shitty minimum wage job that people cycle through traditionally.
“Course you’re not fired, I love you!”
“Well thank you.”
“Do you love me?”
“I’m sorry?”
“I didn’t have a single friend in high school and I loved it there.”
Amy and Garret fucking with Jonah killed me, because it did in fact convey a friendship. “Who’s gonna force me to try Tahini.”
“I’m all out of trophies, Eugene.”
“He said Sandra, take your taters. And I did. And I put them in his face.”
This is actually a plot where Jonah and Amy needling each other makes sense, because both of them are pushing their principles to the extreme.
“Yeah, I’m just… morbidly intrigued at this point.”
“We are gonna find a solution, Vicki! I wasn’t raising my voice! Well, now I am!”
“You will always have a place here! Til the day you die! You can die here!”
The Hot Rock
Look, does Redford make any sense at all as casting for John Dortmunder, the patron saint of hard luck? No. But this is nonetheless a solid example of breezy, funny, heist-filled charm, anchored by someone who (right for the role or not) always had screen presence to burn. Strong supporting cast. Excellent New York.
Easy Living
Adorable and charming. It’s unfortunate that seeing Bringing Up Baby as one of my first screwballs gave me the impression the genre as a whole wasn’t for me, because I’ve actually liked-to-loved all the rest I’ve seen. The Jean Arthur-Ray Milland romance is a treat, the automat chaos is sublime, the misunderstandings are terrific, and I love the Hotel Louis.
Woman of the Hour
More tomorrow, but this is a strong directorial debut from Anna Kendrick and a frequently groanworthy sophomore effort from its screenwriter.
Odd Man Out
…May have to save this for next week, since it deserves a full article. Gorgeous cinematography, deft ensemble characterization, and an almost Irish Flannery O’Connor-like scene with an artist and a bunch of squabbles over a dying man. Ending goes incredibly hard.
First two episodes of Hack’s last season and the show is going out on a seeming high note and with some stakes. How will Deborah be remembered with Bob Shipka controlling so much of her public image? I love the plot turns here like Ava and Deborah leaking the video and the emotion of Deborah acknowledging (essentially) that Ava is the first best friend she’s ever had. Laughed a lot at the Little Debbies’ demands of Deborah, including “Admit that you’re a lizard!”
Lost what I typed when I hit the wrong tab!
Elementary, “Uncanny Valley of the Dolls” – A highly advanced sex doll has the clue to a murder (thus the clever title), and the case involved tech that doesn’t exist yet but might (as well as foreseeing ChatGPT etc’s role in people’s sex lives).
The Twilight Zone, “A Nice Place to Visit” – Middle of the road humorous episode carried by two good performances. The ending is reminiscent of a recent Michael Schur sitcom. More to come.
Barney Miller, “Group Home” – So the spinoff with Fish had already launched by this point, but Fish is still showing up here as well, and for some reason two of the teens he and his wife are fostering are here as well. Or more note are an undercover (and in women’s clothes) Fish is solicited by a lonely older man, and an army recruiter reports a bomb threat. Guests include Phil Leeds, George Murdoch, and a rather young James Cromwell as a sketch artist.
Anything Else — And suddenly the Woodman is back on form. I remember really enjoying this when it came out, and that impression was confirmed on this rewatch. Taking himself out of the romantic lead has refreshed him as a writer/director.
Jason Biggs is a young comedy writer in the midst of a deeply dysfunctional relationship with Christina Ricci, while Allen plays his crackpot older friend. But as much as she’s putting him through all these changes, Allen makes clear why he would stay — Ricci is ridiculously sexy, and when she’s in the right mood she’s passionate, interesting, adventurous, and captivating. Her only problem is that she is completely self-involved and has no interest in Biggs once she’s landed him except as house pet.
The relationship really feels lived in, with simple moments of domesticity that belie how unhappy Biggs is simply because you can’t live in that state of anxiety all the time. Meanwhile he’s in similarly unsatisfying relationships with his shrink and his agent (small-timer Danny Devito making the case for why all of Danny Rose’s acts left him when they could).
Biggs isn’t the most demonstrative actor, but that actually serves the role here, and helps him avoid doing a ticcy “Woody Allen” impression like the one that sunk Branagh in Celebrity. But he has several strong moments — at one point he sits on the couch listening to Stockard Channing (Ricci’s flibbertigibbet mother Who is working up a cabaret act) perform a lovely rendition of “There’ll Be Another Spring” and he is overcome with despair. You can see the hope leave his body.
Critical reception of this one is mixed, and man I do not get it. It’s a real throwback to the period of Annie Hall and Manhattan with a ton of lovely shots of Central Park. It’s fast and funny and is built around an excellent performance by Ricci as the idee fixe. Worth tracking down.
Twilight Zone, “A Nice Place to Visit” – pretty solid although the twist is very easy to see coming, especially with modern eyes.
What did we listen to?
72 Seasons, Metallica
I can definitely see why this era of Metallica splits the fans – there’s nothing wrong with the music, but you can hear that they’re completely averse to taking even the slightest risk. It’s interesting that there’s a section of any fandom that’s completely dedicated to one particular idea of a work; with Metallica in particular, I know how many of the fans consider the band’s music a reason to live, so I can see why they’re particularly volatile about it.
Life, Neil Young
More subtle Eighties style here. Amazing that Young is so vivid a writer that he can throw in the cliche o’ the times and it still sounds like him.
Kiss, Kiss
Even more straightforward rock than their first album. It does amuse me that they seem to end their albums with a big bit of weirdness, which I think is a combination of being bored with their usual sound and wanting to mess with it, and a desire to complicate their image a bit.
The Sounding Board gets results! Adult DVD’s self-titled is good though I dunno if I’ll go back to it more than once. Can see their next album being more of a knockout. Got into a mix of songs from the radio, including David Gray’s genuinely great MOR classic “Babylon”, LA Priest’s funky/glammy “What Moves”, and The Districts’ “Cheap Regrets.”
A podcast was basically tailor-made for me, yippee; two of Stephen Sondheim’s close friends did one called Loving You interviewing what seems to be a smorgasbord of great guests – about the “real” Sondheim – Steve – versus his public image as a brilliant, sometimes difficult artist. It’s apparent that while he could be amusingly bitchy (there’s a semi-feud with neighbor Katharine Hepburn, for example), he was friendly and even sweet once he felt able to open up. The first guest Julie Andrews observes that the hurt he carried from his childhood motivated much of his behavior. She calls him an observer and shy, like many great writers, noticing everything while sometimes saying little. Steve was also a huge nerd about Golden Age Hollywood and British cinema so he’d have fit in here.
Blank Check on Casino – For three hours, this one went by pretty fast, even if it didn’t really a lot to say that was new. Seems appropriate given the movie (which all three like more than I did). Some interesting observations about Las Vegas from Emily. Surprised, though, that Griffin and David think Rodney Dangerfield is funny.
1001 Albums, etc.
Hole – Live Through This: I’m not the biggest Hole fan but this is way more my thing than most of the male-fronted grunge bands and when they hit, they hit hard.
Massive Attack – Protection: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Blue Lines but this one is more what I was expecting, very safe chill-out vibes that just fade into the background a little. I enjoyed the tracks with Nicolette on vocals the most.
Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible: I’ve never been a big Manics fan but quite enjoyed revisiting this one, there are some killer riffs in there and plenty of furious energy.
Suede – Dog Man Star: yeah, Suede are just not my thing. This album has far too many slow-burn epics and even at their best, they just make me wish I was listening to Bowie instead.
The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die: really enjoyed this, good crunchy production with just a few nods to Dr Dre’s more synth-heavy style. Lyrics definitely cross the line of good taste at times but they’re smartly written enough to make me laugh even when they’re deeply problematic.
Jeff Buckley – Grace: I bought this on CD sometime in the early 2000s, hated it, got rid of it. So it was one that I was dreading going back to a little, but I guess I can see the appeal even if it’s really pushing hard against a lot of my biases. Positives: the guitars sound really good, he’s less annoying than his dad.
Orbital – Snivilisation: enjoyed this quite a bit but a few of the tracks really drag on longer than they should. The drum programming is intricate and rewards deeper listening though, and the extended length could be a benefit for repeat listens as an album to work to etc.
Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York: a solid swansong for Kurt, it would have been interesting to see his music evolve if this hadn’t been the end. The covers all work really well and most of the Nirvana songs sound great in these arrangements.
Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral: I find Trent’s none-more-miserable lyrics a bit laughable at times but the arrangements here are pretty consistently inventive. “Hurt” is such a Johnny Cash song for me at this point that it feels strange revisiting the glitched-out original.
The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation: like Orbital, this is good but overstuffed… which is a little harder to take when the energy levels are so consistently high, let me have a little rest! But the quality is consistently high and there are some classic tracks, when the big acid riff kicks in on Voodoo People it feels like one of the peaks of the genre.
—
Screen Drafts, “Women-Directed Noir” – great to hear Lauren as the official sponsor for this episode! You did a great job! Interesting episode, my noir tastes definitely lean far more towards the classic than the neo but obviously it makes sense that this draft would have to mostly look toward later eras. Definitely a few interesting picks that I’ll have to check out!
I’m so glad you liked it! I was extremely nervous, but it was very fun. Very excited for the later Mitchum Noir draft to get in some more vintage picks later this month, too.
You spoke very eloquently! Mitchum isn’t one of the classic actors I’ve gone particularly deep on so I’m curious what they pick there.
Year of the Month updates:
This November, you can write about anything from 1968 — here’s some lists of movies, albums, books, and TV to get you started.
TBD: Bridgett Taylor: Black Lizard
TBD: Cameron Ward: Horus, Prince of the Sun
Nov. 13th: Gillian Nelson: Understanding Stresses and Strains
Nov. 14th: Cori Domschot: Yours, Mine, and Ours
Nov. 19th: John Bruni: The Swimmer
Nov. 22nd: Tristan Nankervis: Slouching Towards Bethlehem
And then we’ll be wrapping up 2026 with a look back at 2020! Here’s some lists of movies, albums, books, and TV to get you started.
Dec. 3rd: Cori Domschot: Underwater
Dec. 4th: Gillian Nelson: The Owl House
Dec. 11th: Gillian Nelson: Prop Culture
Dec. 18th: Joseph Finn: The Queen’s Gambit
Dec. 25th: Gillian Nelson: COVID closings at the Disney parks