Joel Sarakula – Feels Like The First Time

Feels Like The First Time – Joel Sarakula

by Aidan Roberts

If ever Sydney has boasted a piano man with a bread-jar on the bar, it is Joel Sarakula. Sarakula has been smashing ivories for many years under his own name and various incarnations of same, touring the world plying his lively piano-pop wares to the greater public – from the neons of Broadway to the salty brine of the diesel-soaked South Pacific cruises. These years of experience have come to ground with this 6-track EP, entirely produced and recorded by Joel in his bedrooms across the globe. Pressing play, it’s a startlingly polished affair, far more so than the indie crowd is probably used to – Joel’s exuberant piano-and-rhodes disco aesthetic and his strident, Billy-Joel-Cum-Bowie vocals are so theatrical, it’s actually a little bewildering. Pretty soon the melodies hook you in – the absurdly catchy Are You Going Out Tonight rings of the late-70’s hit-makers in full swing, and the very pretty Brooklyn-Ballad Lisa flows with a lilting confidence. Sarakula is traversing a difficult pop path in this overly critical scene – but Jesus he does it well. A full-length record may just reveal a few more colours inherent in this performer’s palate, and a genuine hit could be in waiting.

***1/2