It feels fitting to end the year with a great Pop Rock album, although there are more reviews to come in early January. It also fitting that the year ends with Big Stir who have had another productive year and could very well have saved the best until last.
The new Shplang album is absolutely wonderful and I can't think of a better album that explains what IDHAS does. It crosses genres with ease, offers big variety and is not afraid to step into the left field. That variety is what sets it apart from many albums in the genre.
There is an incredible wit and the directions taken are both intelligent and wacky. This is no ordinary album. It is at its best when it takes even more chances. It reminds me of the great Gravitas Pop of the great Indie writers such as Partridge and Hitchcock. There are so many ideas on show.
Songs like She, The Fair Bag Girl and Baby Hobo are both bizarre, zany and brilliant. The latter even enters Lounge. Das Diddley starts all Bo and then rips into Kraftwerk and adds some Prog Synth. It shouldn't work, but it does.
Little Mushroom Men From Mars is simply splendid Psych Pop and I'd love to know what goes through the band's minds, because these songs lyrically are like no other. They are like dreams transcribed on the written page.
There is even time to fit in more straight forward numbers. Everyone Can Change is an outstanding ballad with a killer Guitar solo. Understood may be the best Power Pop song that you will hear all year and adds Brass to the mix. Look Me Over is similarly great Pop Rock with hints of Psych.
This has been a really good year for Pop Rock, particularly the second half. But I am certain that you will hear nothing that compares to this. Wonderfully written, completely off its head and just jaw dropping in its scope. Superb!
You can listen to and buy the album here.
.............................
No comments:
Post a Comment