Nightweather by Wallspace

It always helps when a vocalist can really sing; whether they be male or female, there's nothing quite like a star on the mike who can bring something exciting and powerful to the mix. Such as it is with Wallspace, a Sydney trio who transcend their P.J. Harvey and Velvet Underground influences with the cracking tunes of their debut. Opener "How's Your Love Life" is a great single, brimming with glorious hooks and Savannah Elias' monstrous voice. The loose and supple piano and slide guitar torch-song of "Meet Me Up At The Lighthouse" is brilliantly handled; blues-rocker "Death of the Cool" lightens the mood with a Stones-like shimmer-and-shake and a chorus for radio. Producer Rob Younger and mixer Wayne Connolly keep the sound clean and clear; and, with rock revivalism reaching its zenith, Wallspace have timed their charge well." 3 1/2 stars - Australian Rolling Stone

"Stripped down, amped up, and hits the ground running. It's Burlesque poetry, its elegant and sparse. This three piece out of Sydney Australia play electric music. The main protagonists include an English gentleman, aptly named Jason Kingshott shuffling and smashing things on his blood red skins. The thin mercury sounding Savannah Elias singing like no other that has come before. Playing electric acoustic, classically trained piano, and Hammond organ; and finally Nick Elias playing his Mexican Strat, blues harp, police whistle and highway one synthesizer.

Wallspace is inspired as much by the music of their childhood as the last novel they read. Songs that mix Bo Diddley stomps with characters that could be drawn out of a Martin Amiss novel. Piano lines that evoke architect Mies van der Rohes less is more philosophy. Or drum rolls that should have been the sound track to Fritz Langs Metropolis. The story of Wallspace is simple, its been written about many times. But its not where these three have been thats important but its where theyre going. Their debut album is called Nightweather and we hope you love it as much as we do. To date they’ve played shows with Little Barrie, The Grates, Red Riders, Bit By Bats and Treetops." - Music NSW Website

"Any album that bears the hand of Radio Birdman and New Christs lead singer Rob Younger is worthy of immediate attention. As in-house producer for Citadel Records in the 1980s, Younger produced some of the finest guitar rock and power pop releases of the decade. And with Wayne Connelly '" who assumed engineering duties on the early (and best) You Am I albums '" there's even more promise in the usually benign production notes.

Sydney trio Wallspace are blessed to the have the services of Younger and Connelly on their debut album, Nightweather. And as good as the production and engineering duties are, it's the songs that commend the album for a serious listen. But you'd imagine Younger wouldn't touch anything he didn't like '" and he's got good cause to like this album. All good album opens with a memorable moment; Nightweather opens with the stomping garage pop of How's Your Love Life, in which singer Savannah's vocals blend the punk resonance of Patti Smith, the attitude of Janis Joplin (without the screeching) and the soothing indie pop sensibility of Angie Pepper. From there we get the quality dreamy pop of Stuck Inside The Nightweather and the mesmerising Meet Me Up In The Lighthouse, the latter building to crescendo of guitar, drums and oh oh ohs that Karen O would be proud of. Should I Call recalls Rickie Lee Jones' best sultry rock work, a step back and across from the comfortable Everything I Wanted.

And the diversity just keeps on coming '" Death Of The Cool (which challenges the opener for best track on the album) is a punchy rockin' blues-based track; Where Has the Singer Gone marries the white reggae of The Clash and Newtown indie sensibilities; the nihilistic I Don't Want A Future and the romantically enigmatic I Don't Care Who You Love are located perfectly in the Patti Smith Group musical tradition; while Rosetta and Charlie Casablanca are softer, sombre ballads that illustrate further a diversity of style (but don't pack a punch like some of the other material on the album).

Wallspace have go beyond the patronising "plenty of promise" tag '" they've got a shirtload of diverse and quality songs that buckets all over plenty of other stuff receiving lavish praise via major label rosters and commercial FM radio playlists. This is genuinely good shit." - BEAT (Melbourne)

"It's rare that a new album from a new band on first listen literally reaches out from the speakers and sonically slaps you upside the head with its instant brilliance. Nightweather -the debut album from young Newcastle trio Wallspace - is that album. Led by 21 y.o singer/guitarist Savannah Elias, the group manages another rare feat: conjuring up a slew of performers (Patti Smith, PJ Harvey) in the grooves of their sound while maintaining 100% originality. From the shuddering "Death Of The Cool" and "How's Your Love Life" to the mournful "Ballad Of Charlie Casablanca", NIghtweather is a stunning debut album deserving of rabid airplay. Get in early on a band just waiting to explode. " - Filmink

"Nightweather is the debut disc from Newcastle band Wallspace. They present an eclectic mix of influences that have me groping for big names like the Stones, Patti Smith, Television and some English punk bands from the seventies. To be fair, Wallspace are no rip-off merchants: there is much originality and terrific singing and playing here.

Firstly, a bit about Wallspace. The band is Savannah Elias (vocals and guitar), Nicholas Elias (guitars and harmonica) and Jason Kingshott on drums. They’re young: ages range from 21 to 26. I saw them at the Annandale back in July, the night that Jason Walker almost gave himself a lobotomy. Savannah can most certainly sing. She has a fabulous voice '" she sings with a strength and maturity well beyond her 21 years on this planet. Nick plays a sweet guitar and can blow a mean harp. Jason (not Walker) keeps it all together with the sort of drumming that you need when the drummer is the rhythm section. No bass.

The album opens with How’s Your Love Life? It kicks off with a nice understated riff that could have been devised by Keef. It’s sort of Stonesy, but not really. Savannah teases a poser with “How’s your love life in your black jacket?” I’m not telling. Meanwhile we get our first taste Nick’s harp: solid and bluesy. I like this.

Stuck Inside The Nightweather is nicely subdued. The intro is reminiscent of Wild Horses, but there the comparison ends. Lyrically, it could be Neil Young, moody but not bleak. Harmonica features again, beautiful and melancholy.

Everything I Wanted opens with a jangly guitar riff that almost sounds like it’s been borrowed from somewhere, but I can’t place where. It gradually builds into a solid rocker with a grungy, toe-gazing guitar line. Is it about unrequited love? Don't know, but I like it.

Meet Me Up By The Lighthouse is a haunting dark love song. Piano and slide guitar usher in an invitation that would be impossible to resist. “Warm at the touch of skin, bottles of civilisation on our rug, a glass of wine” all under “staccato skies”. It takes me back to some other place. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. Great song. Pick of the album so far.

Next is Should I Call, semi-acoustic with a lilting harmonica accompanying the end of a relationship. It’s a bit reminiscent of Johnette Napolitano on the second Concrete Blonde record, but then again, not quite. Sad and ponderous with a very subdued guitar solo to finish off.

Things lighten up with Death Of The Cool, a country bluesy rocker that has some very groovy tempo changes. There’s great complexity here given the sparsity of the instrumentation. Savannah belts it out just like the best of the bar queens.

America Is is slow and moody again. I hear an Emmy Lou influence here, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Reggae beats abound in Where Has The Singer Gone. I try to invoke names like Patti and Debbie here, but this probably owes more to Australian Crawl’s The Boys Light Up than anything from the New York DIY scene of the seventies. I like it, especially when it moves into something a bit Stonesy in the chorus.

Dirty guitars and great lyrics make The Future a latter day punk classic. The first time I heard “I don’t want a future if it’s going to be like this” my ears pricked up. I never wanted one, I still don’t. This is my pick for a single. There will be much pogo-ing to this in the Christmas party season.

Rosetta is a quirky thing. It starts off annoyingly like that Four Non-Blondes single from the early nineties, but it gets much better. I didn’t like it at first (not able to get past the one hit wonders) but it’s grown on me. Lyrically, this is clever and wise. The Rosetta Stone gave us an understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Google for “Rosetta Stone and Napoleon” and you’ll get the idea.

I Don't Care rocks out. This is classic pub rock, Savannah’s squeal sits very nicely between Patti Smith and Nina Hagen and there is a killer false ending and tempo change. Dig it. Full of bombast and swagger.

Ballad of Charlie Casablanca finishes off the album nicely. Subdued and restrained, a bit like some of Neil Young’s dark stuff from a long time ago, but there is a hint of uplift in the guitar line. “You don’t get paid to be a dreamer.” That may be, but some of us keep doing it. The dreamer’s pay might be crap, but the hours are good.

Production values throughout are pretty damn good. In fact, it almost sounds under-produced. We don’t have lavish overdubs and string sections. It’s quite sparse and clean. I like it when the producer doesn’t get in the way. Top marks to Rob Younger and Wayne Connolly for getting the live sound on the disk.

To sum up, Wallspace’s Nightweather is a stunning debut." - Faster Louder Website

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