Powderfinger - Dream Days At The Hotel Existence Album Review

Powderfinger
Dream Days At The Hotel Existence
Remote Control
Album Review

Powderfinger may be one of the biggest bands you've not heard of - huge in their native Australia, they suffer from the rather narrow focus Brits tend to have on their own bands and US imports. Dream Days is their sixth album, and is their best to date - a great, mainstream rock record that would distinguish any of the more famous rock bands - Counting Crows, Embrace, Coldplay. The guitar crunch is there, but the band have rediscovered melody, and have come back into a more listenable place: Ballad of a Dead Man (the album's best track, despite being hidden at second-last in the running order), Wishing On The Same Moon and Nobody Sees are standouts.

The band seem to have benefited from lead singer Bernard Fanning's solo endeavour - the songs aren't afraid to let the song out now - and Tony Cohen's production tightens things up nicely. If radio friendly rock is your thing, and the UK's rather fashion-conscious output at the moment is leaving you feeling like something's missing, Powderfinger may just have brought some sustenance.

4/5

Mike Rea