Singles of the Week

Pokett's receding hairline turned his forehead into a fivehead.

Pokett
Marmalade / Fall (Wireless Records)
Pokett is Paris-based artist Stéphane Garry and friends, who manage to create an immediately endearing blend of Nick Drake-esque gentle acoustica and subtle electronics. Marmalade starts out as a jauntily strummed acoustic number, and once Garry’s velvety vocals kick in, the tune begins to paint a dreamy landscape of tinkering keys and whirring effects. The folktronica is amped-up several notches in the more epic-inclined Fall, with the opening, nursery rhyme vibe and arpeggiated guitars making way for a contradictory wash of Hammond organ and hushed harmonies. Then something entirely unexpected happens – a pause, and some overdriven guitars herald a diversion into the realm of alt-country. Then it all falls back upon a solemn voice and acoustic guitar, signalling the kind of haughty eclecticism one expects – nay, demands from the French.

Bob Evans
Don’t You Think It’s Time? (Capitol)
If you believe Kevin Mitchell (and McDonald’s ads), there’s a Bob Evans-type character that quietly resides in all of us, that sweetly naïve little person who yearns for simplicity and honesty amidst the chaos of the rat race. Don’t You Think It’s Time? is the perfect antidote to all things hectic, as Bob continues his pursuit for the perfect pop melody. Again, it’s just acoustic guitar, Casio and voice, with some harmonica (isn’t that from Piano Man?) thrown in for melancholy’s sake. What’s most interesting is the fact that such simplicity is warranting repeat listens, with the basic formula throwing out new surprises until each one is firmly ingrained in the ‘repeat’ function of one’s own memory.

Midnight Juggernauts
Shadows (Shiny Records)
The time for retro-futurism is now, and Midnight Juggernauts’ brand of synth-rock has them perfectly placed to make such contradiction-infused sounds their own. Shadows introduces itself with a disconcerting electronic wail, the sound of a machine dying, or something. The track soon opens up to reveal an unmistakably disco groove, mainly in the Chic-approved bass line and swirling synths. But the band is at it’s best when they nod toward sci-fi space rock, with the smooth vocal loop ‘tomorrow, today’, leaving the undeniable impression that this would be the in-house entertainment on a future space colony. Unless Finland take over the world, and all entertainment is provided by scary rock orcs. Either way, it’s something to look forward to.

Kim Beales
The Whispers (Upstairs Mate Records)
Whilst Beales’ voice tends to drift into the dreaded, bonfire-friendly sonic dimension known as ‘surfer-songwriter’, he thankfully manages to steer clear of any white-boy reggae pretensions. The Whispers is far more blues than roots, with the suitably hushed opening soon giving way to a grunty and grimy overdriven guitar, set amidst tinkering, tremolo-infused punctuations. Some subtle jazz overtones show themselves as the track progresses, with Beales developing a sound at once familiar and all his own.

SINGLE OF THE WEEK
I [Love] Space
Sinful Sounds From A Vintage City EP (Reverberation)
Brooding, epic indie pop, and the best thing I’ve heard come out of Sydney all year. Opening track Get You Up is a slowly burning crescendo of reverb-laden guitars and increasingly soaring vocals, evoking a sense of early-era Radiohead fusing with the local post-rock scene. The massive sound gives way to the more straight ahead, pulsing pop guitars of In Limousine Windows, a pleasant diversion, with a strangely necessary saxophone lending the track an inner-urban kind of vibe. The Kill is a layering of clean, jangly guitars, with the detached vocals injecting the linear track with a sense of early-90s shoegazer – remove the chimes, add some mean distortion and this could be Swervedriver all over again. Drop does just that, bringing things back down to a lounge level, until things pick up halfway through, sending the band into the territory they seem to do best – namely, clean chiming guitars tinkering over a pulsing rhythm. The haunting, space-pop of Turning Around leads into the stunning two-part closer Birds.Attack, leaving the always-impressive impression of a band who manage to harness eclecticism whilst maintaining their own coherent, confident sound.