Under the radar

Dark Times (Symphony No.2)
Cam Butler
Rocket, 2008
4.5 stars

Silver Ray mastermind Butler has eclipsed his group’s work with his fifth solo outing, Dark Times. A grandiose set in eight parts, it is at once charming and foreboding - the songs build up and gather weight like storm clouds, eventually unloading their full force on the listener in a shower of orchestral strings, jazz-infused percussion and Butler’s trademark guitar. Butler is smart enough to know that words would spoil the mood set here – the entire album is purely instrumental, yet its rich, romantic ebb and flow communicates more than any lyrics could. Musically, you won’t find a finer Australian album in 2008.

Artwork: B
From a distance it looks good, but jesus - did they pull this cover image straight off the internet? Pixels people, pixels!

Published in mX, Thursday October 23, 2008.