Rating: 4/5
Verdict: More sublime if shapeless pop harmonies from hairy British four-piece
By abandoning the pop-economy of their terrific, 2005 self-titled debut for the more embellished Those the Brokes in 2006, this English outfit lost followers, and momentum. But where that debut was a radio/car album, Brokes was a headphones one.
The openers here - a string-enhanced five minutes of The Pulse and the gently undulating, vocal harmonies of Hurt So Good - announce another to enjoy at leisure.
Even more than Brokes, this album is soaked in Brian Wilson/Beach Boys and trippy folkadelic pop, but also has nods to innocent late-50s pop ballads (A Start with No Ending).
With strings again arranged by the late Robert Kirby (who worked with Nick Drake among others), there are places where the music here takes flight: Why Did You Call? rides slippery percussion and quivering guitar chords, Restless River is gorgeous folk-pop with a cappella harmonies which slides into the equally gentle and pastoral Only Seventeen.
The problem most will have is the lack of immediate pop hooks and that often the mini-epic quality of some of these constantly morphing songs (the shapeless Once I Had) never quite goes anywhere - other than indulging in their own loveliness.
But if you thought Brokes better than most gave it credit, there's more than enough seduction here - especially in the last half - for another stamp on your MN loyalty card.
(elsewhere.co.nz)
- TimeOut
