Powderfinger

Without a doubt, Powderfinger will reach success, both artistically and commercially, with Odyssey Number 5, the follow-up to 1998's award-winning Internationalist. Rolling Stone recently touted Powderfinger's fourth full-length studio album as "the record that might just introduce them to the rest of the world." Odyssey is packed full of 11 ear-friendly gems for you to sink your teeth into.\nHailing from Brisbane, Australia, Powderfinger bridges Neil Young-style guitar with Nirvana-esque lyrics. With vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins and drummer Jon Caghill, Powderfinger is guaranteed to blow your mind and undo your bind with its musical masterpiece. \n"My Happiness," the first single, entertains a soothing acoustic-reverb guitar combo. Commencing with soft, restrained guitar strumming, it mushrooms into a powerfully emotional ballad, setting a precedent for other songs follow. This song chronicles Fanning's trials and tribulations he faces with his significant other as he anticipates her return.\nThe second single, "Like a Dog," envelops polyrhythmic drums, poignant vocals and razor-sharp guitar riffs. It captures the power-rock side of Powderfinger. "Like a Dog," the high-water mark of the album, climaxes as a soaring wave of electric guitar riffs engulfs audio faculties. As the song peters out, the discontented Fanning laments, If you treat me like a dog … and keep me locked up in a cage/I'm not relaxed or comfortable … I'm aggravation and rage.\nThe standout track, "My Kind of Scene," off the "M:I-2" soundtrack, is a send-off into introspective, self-reflective reverie. While holding steadfast onto the orgasmic rock musical pattern established early in the album's progression, tracks "This Time Around" and "These Days" function to tie the album together. \nThis album is ideal for those seeking some console from the drudges of routine, everyday life. Although Powderfinger has been touted as of late for its songwriting perfection, musical splendor, and coming-of-age excellence, the apologetic mood coloring the lyrics has the potential to do more harm than good. Nevertheless, these five blokes from the land down under have crafted a solid musical magnum opus.