Sunlight Streams In

The Floodlight Collective
Lotus Plaza
Kranky, 2009
4 stars

Do Deerhunter bandmates Bradford Cox and Lockett Pundt, share the same brain or something? Pundt's solo debut as Lotus Plaza shimmers with the same spacey, afternoon haze that Cox's own great Atlas Sound solo work has showed off. It's hard to say whether Pundt is responsible for, or inspired by, the melancholy atmospherics that Deerhunter littered their albums with, but either way The Floodlight Collective is brimming with them. There isn't a jarring or aggressive moment to be found - overall it's a softly-softly, pretty indie pop album. Opener Red Oak Way sets the pace perfectly, its guitars sanded of any sharp edges, and its steady drumbeat happy to sit in the background behind layers of electronics and washy vocals. From there on in Quicksand hints at a hillbilly vibe, These Years takes a minimalist, almost Sigur Ros-ish instrumental approach, and Sunday Night touches on glitchy electro before dropping back into bass-driven atmo-pop (can I coin a new musical term?). And album closer A Threaded Needle - wow. It's all good. Fans will already be all over this record, but those that haven't yet come across Deerhunter or any of their offshoots could do worse than start their education with this record.

Artwork: B
Old photos rock.

Desperate and Dateless

Spunk! Single's Club Vol.1
Various
Spunk!, 2009
3.5 stars

There’s not usually a lot of risk involved in buying a CD of various singles. Over the years, never-ending seasonal collections such as 100% Hits and Hit Machine, and more recently So Fresh, have taken all of the surprise (and quality) out of it. But this album is different – not only are the bands here about as recognisable as the brand name on a jar of ALDI mayonnaise, they’re all local produce too. Spunk! have hand-picked twelve up-and-coming bands for this collection, with each given four or five minutes to show their wares. It’s a nice idea and, for some of these bands, their first appearance on vinyl or shiny plastic. The fare is predominantly JJJ-ready indie rock, with highlights coming from Melbourne’s Super Wild Horses and Central Coast NSW’s Birdlife. All up, a nice package, and not half as risky an investment as one might think.

Artwork: A
Some nice collage work, with the same kind of feel as recent Black Dice and Wolf Parade album artwork. No, it's not a new idea, but here's done well - a theme that carries on in the music on the disc, actually.

Published in mX, Thursday February 26, 2009.

Breaking Rules

Rules
The Whitest Boy Alive
Modular, 2008
3.5 stars

Erlend Øye certainly has interesting musical taste. Best known as one half of Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience, he is also an accomplished electronic artist. The Whitest Boy Alive, a four-piece with Øye up the front, started as a dance group, but by the time their 2006 debut Dreams came out the group had morphed into an indie pop group, with no programmed instruments to be found. On Rules, Øye revisits his interest in dance music, only this time the sound is more disco than club floor. Rules has a real ‘70s kick (which could have something to do with the recent introduction of Rhodes piano and a Crumar synth), a far cry from the stripped-back guitar pop of Dreams. But strangely enough, in a dorky kind of way, it works. Intentions has a serious Steely Dan vibe (for me, a good thing) and Timebomb is, from the first beat, a blatant disco (or perhaps post-disco) track, but the magic really happens when the band get the blend (two parts ‘old guitar sound’ and one part ‘new synth-heavy sound’) just right, such as on 1517 and Promise Less Or Do More. Rules is a very poppy, a little bit daggy, and catchy as hell.

Artwork: B+
These guys always do a bang-up job with their artwork. Simple black-on-white drawings and neat hand-written text make for a nice, uncomplicated look.

Published in mX, Thursday February 12, 2009.

All Class

Noble Beast
Andrew Bird
Fat Possum, 2009
4 stars

Damn this guy makes it hard to write a ‘critical’ review of his albums. I really got into his last album Armchair Apocrypha but, I have to say, I think this one is even better. More late-afternoon than late-night in tone, Noble Beast is an autumnal set of organic, whistle-laced posh-rock, full of Bird’s stunning instrumentation, Jeff Buckley-esque vocals and cryptic lyricism. If Armchairs was the standout on Armchair Apocrypha, then Anonanimal is the key track here – a delicate slow-builder of a pop song, in three parts. Noble Beast is the kind of album that demands to be played loud through a pair of obnoxiously large headphones - the beauty really lies in the layers of detail. Another great album from Mr Bird.

Artwork: B+
A nice digipak, with some pics of Andrew getting back to the bush. The relatively boring cover shot doesn't do the photography justice though - open up the digipak and it's actually a really nice landscape. As far as the feel of the photos goes, it matches the album perfectly.

Published in mX, Thursday February 5, 2009.