Powderfinger - Vulture Street

Genre rock Publisher Artemis Records External Links Official Website Artemis Records

Like many people, the first song I ever heard by the Australian band Powderfinger was the track "My Kinda Scene" from the soundtrack to 2000's Mission Impossible 2. Almost a year later in early 2001, the band released Odyssey Number Five was actually their fourth proper album, but it was America's first real exposure to the band. When I first got a copy of their latest release Vulture Street, I thought it was covering some of the same ground as its predecessor and was in some respects a lesser version of the same material, but after really giving it a good listen, it turns out that I couldn't have been more wrong.

Although virtually unknown to most Americans, the band Powderfinger is considered to be the most successful Australian Rock band of the last decade. Having won over a dozen ARIA awards (the Australian Grammy) in their career, they've sold nearly two million albums to date. Their potential for making a bigger name for themselves in the U.S. seems to have been overshadowed by the success of their fellow countrymen Jet. It's a shame, because despite sharing some sonic similarities with that band, Powderfinger's sound leans more toward the blues influences of AC/DC and early Rolling Stones.

Nick DiDia, known best in the music industry as an engineer (having worked with some of the biggest artists of the last twenty years: Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and Rage Against the Machine to name a few), appears to have loosened his control over the recording sessions and allowed the band to become more comfortable in the process. Guitarist Darren Middleton explained in an interview once, "You should always start things spontaneously, because that's when you're thinking less and just playing." This holds true when listening to the album. A good portion of the material came from extended jam sessions in the studio and gives a much better representation of the band's live sound.

There is definitely an emotional element to their sound, but unlike Odyssey, the band doesn't seem to be holding back their heavier rock desires this time around. Vulture Street is a much more cohesive album on the whole and works as an introduction to the rest of their catalog. Powderfinger does a brilliant job of blending Bernard Fanning's often wistful lyrics with a heavy rock groove and the crunch of guitar that will have you wondering why you hadn't heard these guys sooner.

Anyone not familiar with the origin of the band's name should be aware that it comes from a Neil Young song, not really surprising considering they started off as a Neil Young cover band. Powderfinger certainly owes a great deal to their influences while managing to create a fresh sound bursting with excitement and energy.