I’d Do Anything (Soldiers Lament) – John Butler Trio I’d Do Anything (Soldiers Lament) – John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio, hailing from Australia, mixes a blend of roots rock with reggae-bluegrass that gives them an oddly vintage feel. Their new album, April Uprising (which coincidentally was released in April of this year) is a clusterfuck of different genres that somehow congeals into a very specific sound that gives the LP a consistent feel from start to finish. The title came from Butler in regards to his experience on the Australian TV program Who Do You Think You Are in which the show takes celebrities on a journey to uncover their ancestry and find out who they came from.

Their sound is reminiscent of the Australian landscape. Much of it is dry and predictable (although there are spots that rescue the song from oblivion) but the bright spots are incredibly melodic and sweeping. At times they can pluck a string that seems to reverberate for the entire song and yet other times their dynamic structure as a group seems to focused on Butler. The instrumentation takes a back seat to his commanding vocalism but many times the song benefits from it.

The first track, Revolution, is strong but slightly misleading, as it sounds very different from the rest of the songs. However, songs like A Star is Born exhibits vocalist John Butler’s assortment of different voices and shows the band’s control as they remain hidden under the crooning vocals until the last note. Each song showcases the singer/songwriter and his unrelenting control over the music, which, thus far, has worked out well for the band (the band has won two ARIA awards and were nominated for three others in the last ten years).

The track I’d Do Anything (Soldiers Lament) is a definite breakout song from the album as it unites the two contrasts that this band does very well; controlled chaos and silent arbitration which plays effectively with your hearing. On the other hand the two singles from the album, One Way Road and Close To You are much weaker tracks, as they are made up of straightforward, simple harmonious lines that never truly manifest into something as spectacular as the previous.

A song on the later portion of the LP, Mystery Man, displays their diversity in a powerful way by mixing a fluid groove with an almost jam band aesthetic. And yet the majority of their songs, although very reggae in structure, have roots in bluegrass and this variety in sound is what gives this band its originality.

The band has a large following in Australia, and rightfully so, as their sound has a clear vision and they seem to achieve it with grace and authenticity. However, they remain bland and predictable which gives them an almost “open mic” aspect that is neither flattering nor productive. I give it 3.5/5 bees.