The brainchild of two well-respected Sydney-based tunesmiths (noted producer, solo artist, and band member around town Michael Carpenter and Mark Moldre from the equally feted Hitchcock's Regret) THE SUPAHIP are that rarity: a summit meeting between the leading lights in two cool bands where the pooling of sonic resources actually creates something transcending the ideas on paper.
Not that either Carpenter or Moldre are exactly slouches where creativity is concerned when they work separately (I can happily point you to Hitchcock's Regret's "Her Life In Reverse", or any number of Carpenter's album including "Up Close" and "Kingsroadworks" at this point), but put them together with an a self-imposed agenda and all sorts of electricity starts to fly through the air.
If you're wondering what this 'agenda' is, then it's simply a yardstick of self-discipline that THE SUPAHIP set for themselves in writing and recording the 12 songs making up debut album "Seize The World." Bemoaning the lack of spontaneous creativity in what passes for the modern day rock scene and the continual emphasis placed on big production over creativity, Carpenter and Moldre set themselves a target - to write, record and mix a song and leave the studio with a complete track at the end of each day.
A stiff task, you'd say? Yeah, well absolutely, though it should be stressed the intense 13 days Carpenter and Moldre put in to fashion "Seize The Day" were worked in around their other projects across a 14-month period. Yet nonetheless, the pair kept up the discipline and clearly the imposition of this tough set of rules worked in the long run, as "Seize The Day" is a deeply satisfying listen from stem to stern.
Of course, both Carpenter and Moldre are renowned for crafting high-quality songs of the broadly power-pop variety, yet while the band's self-confessed 'Hyper-retro-sonic' recording process (predominantly at Carpenter's Stagefright Studio) and the distinct '60s vibe of most of the material on display can't be ignored, it still sounds distinctly fresh in the clinical 21st Century and also finds both our heroes successfully broadening their sonic palettes en route.
Naturally, there are tracks which still bear the acute stamps of their creators. Seasoned Carpenter heads, for example, would soon spot a tune like the bright, beaty and chiming "Everything's Alright" with its' typically irresistible chorus, while neither the expansively lush, McCartney-esque pop of "Like Love" and the grainy, slightly stoned ballad "No Tomorrow" with its' accordion, fairground organ and Dukes of Stratosphere-style whimsy would disgrace themselves if quietly shoehorned into Hitchcock's Regret's back catalogue.
Elsewhere, though, The Supahip are only too glad to strike out for pastures new. There's often a playfulness here that's lacking a little in their individual work, and this is explored in the neat twists of songs like "Tulsa" and "Something's Gotta Give". Both of these are unexpectedly groovy treats, with "Tulsa" employing backwards guitars, tablas straight outta Roy Budd's "Get Carter" OST and witty lyrical asides ("the wolf's at the door and it's starting to roar") while "Something...." really wallows in its' retro-psych groove thanks to farty fuzz bass, Atomic Rooster-style organs and strutting guitars Ride would have maimed for. Bothe of these are hugely enjoyable, but arguably bettered by a cheeky cover of - of all things - Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" which is delivered without a tinge of irony and pisses all over the original's chips. You got a problem with that?
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OK, admittedly it can be a bit 'spot the reference' as you encounter an authentic "Revolver"-era rhythm section (the nagging "Satellite") or a so-close-it's-shaving-it "Pet Sounds"-era multi-harmony (jostling for space with what sounds like a zither on the country-tinged "Falling Backwards"), but even wearing their hearts so blatantly on their sleeves fails to cheapen the cut of The Supahip's smart suit in the main. Besides, who in their right mind could really deny a plaintive and contemplative beauty like "Hanging By A Thread" or an aggressive bruiser like the anthemic, Keefchording beef of "The Radio" even if you instinctively know you've heard variations on these themes a thousand times before?
Just to spoil us even further, most of the album's tracks are also presented in mono mixes, which are arguably tougher and punchier than the regular stereo mixes, but present an alternative and equally intriguing perspective without getting too anally-retentive about it. Suffice it to say they present a further 40 minutes or so of top-drawer entertainment and further reinforce the fact that this is a notable debut album.
Both Michael Carpenter and Mark Moldre have a precarious number of projects requiring their attention, so whether it's realistic to expect The Supahip to become more than a fleeting affair - and a fully-fledged live band - is perhaps a matter for conjecture. What is certain, though, is that "Seize The World" is good enough to hijack a sizeable number of admirers who will readily sing its' praises from the nearest available rooftop. I'd suggest you listen to what they have to say.
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