It's time to re-light the Powder
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday November 12, 2009
AFTER 20 years together, 17 of them with the current line-up, Powderfinger have been struggling to keep it fresh. At times they've felt less like one of Australia's biggest rock bands than a tribute act.€śYou get sick of playing the songs to an extent,€ť says drummer Jon Coghill. €śYou play them over and over, so you become desensitised."We have ... the holy trinity: My Happiness, On My Mind and These Days. Whenever you play them at a gig, the crowd gets into it. The question is always, 'Are we going to put the holy trinity in the set tonight?'€ťPowderfinger have sold 2 million albums in Australia and won 16 ARIAs, including two for best group and three for album of the year. Yet their sixth album, 2007's Dream Days at the Hotel Existence, fell flat.Of that album, Coghill says, "we weren't clicking".Guitarist Darren Middleton nods. €śLast time it was a captainless ship,€ť he says.For the seventh album, Powderfinger reunited with producer Nick DiDia (Internationalist, Odyssey Number Five, Vulture Street) in Byron Bay.€śThe approach was, 'Let's not over-think it, let's not over-analyse it this time,'€ť Middleton says. €śWe learnt to trust each other again.€ťAmbitious and grand, Golden Rule ranges from urgent, guitar-driven rock to lighters-in-the-air balladry.€śI think it's got almost everything that makes Powderfinger good,€ť Middleton says. "I can see the album being ... our best work to date.€ťCoghill demurs. €śI'm not saying it's a bad album, I'm just saying I can't believe we actually made those other albums.€ťIf Middleton is right, the holy trinity will need revising.Bernard Zuel reviews Golden Rule, which is out today, in Saturday's Spectrum.smh.com.au8pm tonight €“ Powderfinger live in concert to launch their album.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald