Something for debate
By Cameron Adams
Herald Sun, August 21 2003

Something For Kate

The Official Fiction (Sony)

THE debate rages: are Something For Kate too clever, too intricate and too wordy to woo the massive mainstream audience Powderfinger have successfully won over? Certainly SFK's career trajectory has been enviable: rabidly, intensely loyal fans at the core, but each album more successful than the last -- moving them out of the indie ghetto but not yet into the arenas. 

Album No.4, The Official Fiction, is earmarked as the one to capitalise on the platinum success of its superb predecessor Echolalia. Once again, SFK adeptly mix melodies (something they used to avoid) and magic (something they had from the get-go). Opener Max Planck is the kind of bruised but blistering rock they manage to make sound effortless: see also Kaplan/Thornhill; sweet and tender but retaining its edge.

Single Deja Vu demonstrates almost everything they do best - their most impressive musical calling card to date. Souvenir displays Paul Dempsey's love of early REM while the jaunty Coldwater Canyon adds punch just at the right moment. Yes, here SFK explore their milder side -- the less-is-more feel of Reverse Soundtrack doing it particularly effectively. Song for a Sleepwalker pushes the country button, while the rollicking Moving Right Along superglues the same button down. Ballad Light at the End of the Tunnel gets pushed into slightly more special territory with the presence of Lisa Germano on perfectly placed backing vocals.

While not as instant as Echolalia, and lacking the run of eager-to-please singles, The Official Fiction offers up a considered mixture of consolidation and evolution from the thinking person's rock band.

The verdict: ***

In a word: solid