Despite the massive space in my musical association landscape occupied by Powderfinger, I never felt any urgency about listening to this album; I was surprised to realise that it came out all the way back in 2003. A large part of that lack of haste was attributable to the vibe I'd picked up that Vulture Street was a bit rockier, the two most 'rock' moments on Odyssey Number Five - "Like A Dog" and "We Should Be Together Now" - being my two least favourite on that previous album of theirs. Another important factor was that I've always had a suspicion that I wouldn't like Powderfinger all that much were it not for the really strong associations which their music carries for me, suggesting that listening to new stuff would be unlikely to prove especially rewarding.
Speaking of those associations, though, it's beginning to get to the time of year when they're at their strongest, so I thought it an apt time to finally check out Vulture Street. Verdict is that it's alright - not to damn it by faint praise, but it's just a solid pop-rock album, with a couple of minor highlights ("(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind", "Stumblin'") and a bunch of perfectly serviceable other songs, all benefiting from that familiar Powderfinger sound and especially Fanning's always listenable vocals. Still, even on some kind of imaginary 'level playing field', I think I would've liked Internationalist and Odyssey Number Five, and probably even Double Allergic, more than this one.
