OR   Search for Artist/Title    Advanced Search
 
you are not logged in...  [login] 
All Reviews    Edit This Review     
Review: 'OCEAN PARTY, THE'
'Light Weight'   

-  Label: 'Spunk'
-  Genre: 'Indie' -  Release Date: '13th November 2015'

Our Rating:
I wasn't even going to review this album and then the CD landed and I stuck it on. I am glad I did. The Ocean Party are a six piece who ostensibly share song writing and singing duties and this is their fifth album in just five years.

I think the best way for me to review this album is by focusing on the standout tracks, of which there are plenty, and eulogise about them. Let's start with 'Black Blood'. What a way to start an album. It is one heck of an amalgam between pop wonder and sinister underbelly.

It is a bit of shock to my system that such a young band can write such mature lyrics. That is not mature in the fuddy duddy sense of the word, more like big wet fish in the face mature. This song reminds me of Echo and the Bunnymen. 'Guess Work' is classic Oz indie and The Go-Betweens rank among my favourite bands ever so that is a very good thing indeed. "I want to exist outside it all. I want to watch everything fall". Well said that man.

'Dirty Money' is a sordid tale. Some people are just unreliable you know. There is usually a good reason for it at the end of the day. Great guitar hook and this song also has a saxophone on it. 'Anything' is a giant of a song. I could write out all the lyrics. They are perfect and they rip me asunder. It is as if they have written it especially for me. What else can one hope for from a song and any of the songs I have singled out fit that bill. The guitars somehow remind me of The Smiths.

'Aircon' is a horn section of a song and perhaps the most upbeat, uptempo track on the album with a definite melancholy tinge. The horn section is skilfully handled in production terms and this is not an easy thing to achieve. It is low key and driving at the same time. 'Real Life' - how the fuck do this band know me so well? The guitars chime like The La's.

'Grow Up' - grow up indeed but what happens next? Apart from the lyrics this song is all about the guitars as there are no drums. Very powerful and almost Stones-like at times. Not overdoing it, playing on the edge with a lot of control. It could be an unmitigated disaster and yet they pull it off. All hail The Ocean Party.

In terms of the music this band make you might call it classic indie as you can probably tell from the names I have dropped. They really sound like a band who enjoy playing together and do so in the moment. The guitars are a perfect foil for one another. One nails the rhythm and the other hooks us in. The bass and drums are simple and tight. The keyboardist ain't half bad either. The rest of the tracks are none too shabby. Future classics maybe? The only reason I am not dispensing full marks for this album is because I believe they can get better. In the meantime they are firmly on my radar and I hope they will soon be on yours.
  author: Leo Newbiggin

[Show all reviews for this Artist]

READERS COMMENTS    10 comments still available (max 10)    [Click here to add your own comments]

There are currently no comments...
----------



OCEAN PARTY, THE - Light Weight