Reviewed by Elliot Rose

This 2012 album from an impressive Australian three-piece displays a staggeringly textured sound thanks to the skills of producer James North. Josh Kerr's soft but strong voice soars amidst his self-layered bvs in songs like "Beautiful" while Pete Sercombe's drumming brings some neat touches. But the real star of the show is the guy that fills in the rest of the frequencies, guitarist Murray Siddans, who masterfully rocks out to overdriven power chords, grooves to funk rhythm patterns and simply keeps the acoustic rhythm going strong. Highlights are "I Believe" and the quirky "Y In The Road" which pinpoint the band's inventiveness and musical quality. One downside, sometimes the melodies get left out of the flavoursome pot of intelligent lyrics and instrumental talent, but The Updraft Imperative are still clearly a band with the potential to make a dent internationally.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.