The cover of this album shows half of the head of a rainbow-irised ventriloquist dummy that appears to be smoking. The initial off-put turned out to be a clever trick on Malakai’s part, because this album is simply excellent. It is pop music as I like it best—essentially catchy without sounding tired. The production is provided by Jeff Barrow of fellow Bristolians Portishead, and the album’s sound is at first very much akin to the latter’s music—beautiful and hypnotic and sounding like it was recorded in a glass studio. But the music is actually more reminiscent of an Odelay-era Beck stuck in with the copyright restrictions of 2010 (but still very British). In “Snowflake” (ever after known as “The Song What Will Not Leave My Head”) the chorus makes reference to a roundabout and the last half of the album sounds pretty straight-up Beatles. They even have a song called “Blackbird.” Despite the obvious musical references, the album stands as quite an original one. The songs never sound tired or overdone. They manage to remain hooky and catchy without becoming repetitive, a huge feat in pop music. The best thing I can say about this album is that I really want to finish this review snappily so I can get back to listening to it; as you should be. (Domino, www.dominorecordco.com) David Nowacki
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989