Shining Bird
Black Opal
Spunk
Leisure Coast band, Shining Bird are an outfit that is building albums that should see them garner the type of long term success that finds them discussed in terms of bands such as the Apartments or Nick Cave. The bands second album Black Opal was recorded over the past two years in the Blue Mountains with the members of Shining Bird trekking to remote lookouts and watching classic Australian films to keep the creative juices fresh and fertile.
Without sounding dated, Shining Bird have many musical touchstones of the eighties. Riverbank describes the bush fires and the River Murray to be a slice of Australiana that is the perfect companion piece to The Triffids Wide Open Road. Whilst remaining in the same decade, but in a significantly different style is Love Shadow with its spikey keyboards and melody that recall Dare era Human League.
Shining Bird make songs that may not scream out for commercial radio, but are hard to forget. Black Opal will sneak under your skin and take hold, as Shining Bird continue to present as a less emphatic version of The Arcade Fire
****1/2
_CHRIS HAVERCROFT
