David Graney
has
released an abundance of records in his time on planet Earth, and with the
release of 
Supermodified,
it's time to add another feather to his bound-to-be
flamboyant hat.
Supermodified
 is Graney pimped out, re-worked and
custom-build, its sort of like that Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Sings Palace Music
 record. Old songs newly recorded and freshly worked. Some people tell me, “hey,
some of the Graney records have strange production values, but when I see and
hear him live the songs are a billion times better”. Well, if that’s the case
for you, then this album will be right up your alley. 

It’s an accurate portrait
of the live sound, and its shit hot funky. Taking ten tracks from the 2004
album
The Brother Who Lived
, four from
Heroic Blues
, and four unreleased ones
means this record isn’t just for Graney enthusiasts or diehard fans, but its
also a good starting place for beginners. Everything is sounding crisp and
top-notch, which is something you’d hope to expect for a band that plays nearly
everyday of the week. “The Brother Who Lived” and “All Our Friends Were Stars”
should be hit singles, “The Royal Troll” has thick distorted riffing and
pounding drums with the typically laid-back Graney croon. “Midnight to Dawn” is
another rocking number with wife Claire Moore crashing about in the rhythm
section. The whole album sounds like glam rock from a boom box at a gay parade
in Melbourne. But sung by the straightest man on earth who is for some reason
leading the rally. Think Roxy Music but with the Australian equivalent of
Jonathan Richman on vocals. “Clinging To The Coast”, has some interesting
compression on the drums, but it works. “Anchors aweigh” are the sounds you’d
be hearing if you walked past a sleazy neon-lit cocktail night bar, in fact the
lounge-esque themes are pretty common throughout the whole record. I never
heard the original to begin with, but this one is well recommended.

Review Score: 7.5/10