Pop is like candy. You want to keep your diet consistent of experimental and left-field music, which are your health foods, but you still hesitantly reach for the candy. Once you have only the slightest amount of candy digested, you can't help but indulge yourself. Same goes for me and this New Zealand pop duo, The Brunettes. I love dining on small portions of pretentious fiber cereals--but you know what? I'm going to endure this gluttonous meal of catchy radio-friendly hits, and I'm not guilty of it.
Though they are only a duo, The Brunettes definitely show that there aren't any restrictions when it comes to their music. The ten songs on Paper Dolls showcase ambition using a variety of instrumentation and skilled songwriting, and when a song is taken out of the context of the album it works effectively as a single. The lyrics range from dancing in your bedroom to contemplating what would happen if you were to die. Drum machines and keyboards are emphasized to a large extent and the album takes on a very cheerful, upbeat mood. And all of this is being played through production that's as clean as a whistle.
I guess that my only complaints are that the kind of music that The Brunettes play isn't exactly my cup of tea, as I've previously stated. The songs are also a little too upbeat for my tastes, but it's hard to come to terms with that because the melodies are so catchy. Like I've said, this album is very keyboard and drum machine-oriented, so some of the samples that are used seem a bit cheesy to me. However, let's put this into the mindset of someone who frequents indie pop. This album is very ambitious, fun, and memorable. The duo doesn't limit themselves to just drums and guitar, the songwriting is certainly above average, and the album is consistent with originality.
Fans of anything in the twee category will probably love this album. Paper Dolls sets out to do what it wants to do from beginning to end. Ambitious, consistent, and technical are the exact terms I would use to describe The Brunettes' fourth album, Paper Dolls.
No comments:
Post a Comment