You Am I “The Lives Of Others”
You Am I are back even bigger and better than ever before with their eleventh studio album The Lives Of Others. As a staunch die hard fan the build up, the anticipation and the excitement of this release definitely has a refreshing feel to it with this proving to be one of their finest. I would go as far as to say this will be one of the best albums you will hear this year. The pandemic has made for challenging times for many bands and You Am I were no different recording the album from different states forcing them to find a new way to work to deliver one of their strongest and most powerful albums of their career.
What the album does show is a revitalisation of our much loved You Am I who are no doubt ready to take on the world again. Having the time to make the album they wanted to make and not having the same external pressures has worked wonders. Right from the outset The Waterboy, a tale of inspiration, sets the tone for what’s to come and what’s even more pleasing is that commercial radio have been all over this single. The Tim Rogers-isms shine with clever and an unbeatable lyric wordplay “Ventricle, aorta, muscle and blood, Building a heart in four places”. It’s hard to not to be bowled over by the beauty of this song.
There are plenty of great moments to celebrate on The Lives Of Others and the spirit of classic albums Hi Fi Way, Hourly Daily, #4 Record and Dress Me Slowly are there in the background. Some favourites for me include the likes the energetic The Third Level, the rush of big guitars in Rosedale Redux, the Beatles-esque tinged Rubbish Days, the power pop vibes of DRB Hudson and Readers’ Comments is stellar. Davey Lane comes in to his own singing on We All Went Deaf Overnight and I’m My Whole World Tonight which stand proudly with the other gems on The Lives Of Others. Lane’s influence on this album is undeniable.
The Lives Of Others is a fantastic listen from start to end with plenty of tunes that will no doubt become live staples in due course. As a fan I’m hooked! For the die hard fans the limited edition Spearmint Green, Pino Gris and Ulladulla Sky tinted vinyl records will stand proudly in your collection. G.B.T.F.L.o.U
Album Review By Rob Lyon
