This is bright sunshine psyche-pop - not because the band hails from Australia but because the members hail in influence from a past where this gentle and playful celebration of the light and fluffy was rife. It is acoustic with recorders and occasional harmonica and other light orchestrations, always infused with harmony and then the off-kilter song like Trapdoor which places it firmly in the psyche-pop rather than just-pop domain: flute and a little bit of sitar, perhaps harpsichord, and the repeated trapdoor just weird enough to be weird-pop. The sitar and flute is continued in the following Cold Cadaver and now the lyrics too invoke faroutness of the late 60s where hoot-pop was infectious and still is in this contemporary reinvention. Am I hearing a bit of Canned Heat in the blues-pop of The Bitter Boogie? You betcha. A wonderful track.
See also Tame Impala and Pond (he said rather predictably). I love the way the Aussies come out with some utter classics that sound "lived in" rather than contrived. See also The Triffids and Howling Bells for music with a little "something else"
ReplyDeleteDon't know Pond or Triffids - but very hard to keep up really! Howling Bells are cool. Agree with what you say here about not being 'contrived' though I certainly think it is a kind of homage. Always good to have you stopping by and commenting - thanks.
DeleteTriffids were a cult indie Aussie band from about 20 years ago. Singer was a smack 'ead who died. Amazing sense of landscape from their "best of" CD - real summer music but not "indie schmindie" (i.e. uncontrived again). Poetic lyrics - I did some background reading and they are now getting the recognition they deserved. Not a great singer but an appropriate one..... Key tracks "Hell of a Summer" and "Wide open Road" - keen to get yer opinion!
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