Happy Places

High Places
High Places
Mistletone, 2008
4.5 stars

Earlier this year this Brooklyn boy/girl duo released a collection of singles titled 03/07 – 09/07, a playful and absorbing set of danceable psychedelic pop songs that sounds like Playschool sing-alongs dipped in honey and rolled in crushed opiates. This early release generated a fair amount of digital hype, and it turns out it was totally warranted, as the group’s self-titled debut LP sees every wax crayon in their arsenal sharpened to point and ready to rip. The influences here are wide-reaching (opener The Storm plays with Middle Eastern instrumentation, The Tree With The Lights In It has an unreal tropicalia beach party vibe and From Stardust to Sentience is like a late night meditation on late-nineties drum-and-bass), but Mary Pearson’s vocals speak a universal language of good vibes and child-like innocence. High Places is a record that will appeal to both a little kid’s sense of fun and an big kid’s sense of adventure.

Artwork: B+
This seriously looks like the track out the back of my family's beach house in Blairgowrie. No joke - have a look here. I must say, I've never seen a giant pink floating head, or a diamond sun, when I've been out there though.

Published in mX, Thursday October 2, 2008.