Rolling Stone album reviews: Tim Freedman, The Bon Scotts, January 2012
Two albums reviews published in the January 2012 issue of Rolling Stone.
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The Bon Scotts
We Will All Die At The Hands Of C.G.I. 
Popboomerang
Misleadingly-named outfit deliver quality LP
The second LP from this seven-piece exhibits folk pop with none of the over-earnestness you might associate with the genre. Each of the 11 tracks clocks in at under four minutes, and all are neatly contained musical ideas adorned with brass, flute and chanted band vocals, the latter of which adds a real sense of fun. The Melbourne-based septet have found a fine balance between beautiful instrumentation – fingerpicked guitar, graceful piano runs – and raucous theatrics. Neither element is overbearing, and the result is a well-rounded set of songs informed by irony, humour and – as the title hints – an undercurrent of mortality. Just ask the morose, overweight Batman on the cover.
Key tracks: “Let’s Do What The Catholics Do”, “Polluted Sea”
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Tim Freedman 
Australian Idle
Sony
Whitlams frontman fails to excite in solo mode
The Whitlams singer/pianist steps out for his first solo album and delivers a collection of middling pop tunes with nary a memorable hook between them. Freedman has displayed a knack for clever wordplay in the past, but there’s a dearth of evidence here: his gags and puns invariably fail to hit the mark, album title included. Most songs exhibit an overproduced sheen, which acts as a repellent. It’s only when Freedman allows some tenderness to shine through that we’re reminded of the talents that made him a household name. These comparatively subdued moments allow Freedman’s band to shine, too. Such songs are in the minority though. A thoroughly disappointing solo debut.
Key tracks: “Back When We Were Beautiful”, “In The Current”
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