Pop

Exploding Head
A Place To Bury Strangers
Mute, 2008
3 stars

You know in those old Hanna-Barbara cartoons where a menacing, wolf-like shadow is actually just a harmless mouse with some neat tricks? Well, these guys are the mouse. Their choice of band name, album name and song titles isn’t exactly asking for ‘iTunes single of the week’ status, but for APTBS that’s clearly the point. This is unapologetic, mean pop music; it’s noisy, abrasive and loud almost to the point of stupid, but behind the bared fangs it’s really just straightforward guitar rock. Rock, that is, for your 2009-vintage “let down by the world” twenty-something city-dwelling male, disaffected enough not to have brushed his teeth but self-aware enough to have scoured half of town for the perfect pair of skinny black jeans. These guys came out with the recent shoegaze revival, their self-titled debut putting them at the darkest, loudest end of the trend. With Exploding Head, they haven’t really changed their formula -- dense walls of guitar noise (courtesy of the band’s home-made effects pedals) conceal stinging punk-rock riffs, distorted, rapid-fire percussion and growled vocals. It’s not for everyone, but those who don’t mind digging through layers of distorted fuzz for a tune will find something to like in this record.

Artwork: C-
Creepy.

Sharpening Their Crayolas

All The Pleasures Of The World
The Crayon Fields
Chapter Music, 2009
4 stars

One of only a handful of Aussie bands to be loved-up by trend-setting US website Pitchfork in recent years, Melbourne’s Crayon Fields have kept a fairly low profile since their 2007 debut. Where other bands fuelled by Pitchforkdom have lit up like sparklers and trailed off just as quickly, it seems like Geoff O’Connor and co. have taken the praise as simply a nod of encouragement, retreating back into their cosy pop den to work on album No.2. Two years is a long time in the net-savy world of pop music, and The Crayon Fields have used it to craft what is a stunning sophomore effort. The Beach Boys harmonies, sun-drenched melodies and lovesick themes found on Animal bells are still intact, but the production is so luxurious it really takes it all to another level. Geoff’s vocals are as delicate and breathy as ever, but his bandmates compliment them perfectly with a classy, understated sound that still manages to tick all the necessary pop boxes. “Timeless” and “Graceless” are standouts for me, but the final track “You Could End Up Anywhere” probably sums up the album the best; lingering, catchy and bittersweet, and only serving to leave the listener wanting more.

Artwork: A
Classy - a much more grown-up approach than that of Animal Bells.