Rating: * * *
They might share the same cultural heritage as Kylie and Silverchair, but Sparkadia don't sound like your typical Aussie pop band.
The Sydney-based quartet recorded their debut album Postcards in London's Miloco Studios - the album was produced by Brit Ben Hillier, whose credits include albums with Depeche Mode and Blur. Indeed, there is a strong British bent to this clever, art-pop record, characterised by simple guitar riffs, clinking piano keys and cooing backing vocals.
From the 70s guitar funk opening of Too Much to Do, Sparkadia set a course of fun, if not overly original, pop rock. At times, the band's songs sound like forgotten B-sides of other great bands - Kiss of Death echoes the danceable disco rock of Franz Ferdinand, while the meandering lilt of Help Yourself harks back to the days of Jarvis Cocker and Pulp. Even Coldplay's influence seems to infiltrate the record on the sweetly ethereal Connected.
The honeyed vocals of frontman Alex Burnett are the band's sole standout feature, but even they are not enough to give Sparkadia their own identity.
