Bravado (LP)

After spending the past few years as something of a journeyman, it comes as no surprise that Kirin J Callinan's second album, 'Bravado,' is a creation with few boundaries.

What does come as a surprise, even for those who have come to expect the unexpected from Kirin, is the stylistic direction undertaken on Bravado.

With his 2013 debut album 'Embracism,' Kirin emerged as a firebrand guitarist, pushing the instrument's capabilities to logical extremes. On 'Bravado,' industrial macho menace has been relegated to the side-lines. In its place? Unabashed EDM euphoria.

Likeminded contemporaries such as Mac DeMarco, Weyes Blood, Connan Mockasin and Alex Cameron stand alongside iconic Antipodean voices Neil Finn and Jimmy Barnes. It's an act of parlaying mutual respect into creation. Jimmy Barnes gifted his world-conquering vocal to 'Big Enough' after Kirin penned a heartfelt letter requesting the services of the "most iconic scream in rock history." Barnesy obliged with an above-and-beyond ear-bursting wail (complemented by the tranquil tones of champion whistler Molly Lewis).