The Sleepy Jackson, Personality  4 / 5 stars Personality, Sleepy
Jackson  Since the Sleepy Jackson formed in 1999, their founder
- Australian oddball Luke Steele - has ditched no less than
three sets of bandmates. This second album features just Steele
and drummer Malcolm Clark.  But any fears that the ethereal
grandeur of 2003's Lovers might be swapped for White Stripes-
esque minimalism are swept away in a torrent of strings, horns
and backing choirs. Driven by a passion for the Beatles and
Brian Wilson, Steele appears to have hired every session
musician in Sydney to help realise his orchestral-pop vision.
The result is a stirring, richly detailed record that sounds
something like Mercury Rev produced by Phil Spector and fronted
by a wide-eyed Roy Orbison.  Steele's softly expressed demons
underscore Personality, but the album's most striking feature is
its ability to avoid the musically obvious while still
delivering golden pop melodies. A special record from a special
talent.