Luminary – The On and Ons (Jem Records)
Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the ring, The On and Ons deliver a triple combination of power-pop punches to open their new album and leave your critical faculties flat on the canvas.
“White Ships”, “Constance” and the stunning single “Speck of Smiling Faces” are the opening tracks and as good as anything the Sydney band has recorded. Even better news is that it doesn’t end there and The On and Ons’ sixth full album, “Luminary”, is their best to date.
It’s also their best sounding record. The band’s original mix was rejected and the tracks were passed onto the label’s choice, US sound wiz Kurt Reil. His transparent and punchy mix allows all the main elements, plus nuances, shine brightly through. It’s not that previous releases sounded bad, this just exceeds them.
“White Ships” sets a confident benchmark, with Glenn Morris’s strong vocal front-and-centre. John Hoey’s keyboard wash and Clyde Bramley’s melodic basslines lay down a solid bedrock. Rolling fills from Brian Morris drive the song forward.
The fuzz-tinged “Constance” is just as good, with a counterpoint vocal line and Brian’s superb drumming the cherries on top. Then there’s the chugging “Speck of Smiling Faces” where Glenn’s steely guitar line propels the song forward into an infectious chorus. Another bunch of pop smarts and hooks that translates to an earwig.
Bringing keys back into the line-up was a killer move. Glenn Morris now gets to add guitar colourings and accents without having to fill all the spaces.
Anyone who knows John Hoey’s work in Died Pretty can attest that he brings his own distinctive colourings and melodies, and so it is here. The snippet of teasing piano intro on “Rebel Gone Bye” and the cool organ line on “Leave Me Out” are cases in point.
Clyde’s rich bass tone and the telepathic brotherly Morris harmonies are next-level. Veteran Brian is evergreen and even a spell up on the hoist to have some parts changed hasn’t affected his ability to motor on and lay down those consummate feels.
Glenn Morris pumps out great songs like there’s no tomorrow and his plaintive lead vocal sounds fuller and stronger across these songs.
There’s not a lot new in what The On and Ons do but that’s why their sound is timeless. They call on classic 1960s and ‘70s pop influences and blend it with their own ingredients to deliver a sound that’s comfortably unfashionable, and unlike most of their contemporaries.
There are so many great songs that it’s hard to pick highlights. It might be a perception thing but there seems to be a bit more complexity to tracks like “Something New”, the pensive “You Never Know” and the sublime “Coming On Strong”, the latter with ex-Sunnyboy Richard Burgman chipping in with acoustic guitar.
Look at the contemporary musical universe and you’ll see that power-pop is a small star formation, tucked away in a distant corner. Remember when albums by The Raspberries, The Nerves, Big Star, and Cheap Trick were revered and, in some places, radio staples? Mate, you are old!
Physical LP and CD records are a side trip, streaming dominates and blandly insipid shit, like the horribly misnamed R&B genre, dominates the mainstream. Rock and roll, and its offspring are niche.
So face those facts and move on. On the upside, the choice of what to play/stream/listen to/consume is entirely yours and bands like The Ons and Ons are your path to aural salvation.
