MASTERS OF THE HEMISPHERE are a quartet based in Athens, Georgia, with a sweet line in winning, janglesome pop. Ring any bells?
Well, whether or not it does, the trail back to REM and the spurious Paisley Underground trappings pretty much go cold at this point, as MASTERS OF THE HEMISPHERE are too busy touting a nice line in guitar pop chock-a-block with melody to bother with hometown trappings.
Already becoming established in the US (they recently supported BELLE AND SEBASTIAN on a stateside jaunt), "Protest A Dark Anniversary" is their first foray into the European market via the new Sidewinder Sounds label.
Despite being hand-picked by Stuart Murdoch's band for that tour, the MASTERS thankfully boast little of the Scots' group's irritating tweeness and while their trademark guitar sound is generally mellow and laid-back, its' more in a harmony-laden West Coast FM way, with most of the MASTERS' obvious touchstones hailing from the Sunshine state itself. Indeed, on songs like the waltz-time "Sailboat Kite" or the catchy "200 Heads" they resemble a heavier, live-in-the-studio BEACH BOYS.
It's rarely annoyingly derivative, mind, and it's tough to resist songs full of warm chords and wry humour like "Local Government" (sample lyric: "Picked me up in a new car/ drove me down to the ER") or "Rules Of Life", both of which sound like FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE at their most spliffed-out and tempting.
But MASTERS OF THE HEMISPHERE aren't afraid to add further spice to the stew, either. Riding in on a finger-picked riff echoing THE BEATLES' "Here Comes The Sun", "Take Time" shoehorns jubilant, LAMBCHOP-style horn motifs into a skewhiff pop sensibility to emerge dazed and smiling, while the strident opener "Anything Anything" augments the chiming guitars with flutes and a simple, "In Between Days"-type keyboard pattern and is quite glorious, no matter how unlikely that might sound.
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The slow and plaintive "All Your Winning Numbers" ably demonstrates that MASTERS OF THE HEMISPHERE also have their fingers on the emotional pulse and when the insistent "Give Me Something Clearly" follows in its' wake - its' clipped guitars strangely recalling "Power, Corruption And Lies" era NEW ORDER - you're certain you're onto a winner.
Sadly, they can't quite sustain the momentum all the way and flag on entering the home strait, with "In The Morning" curiously resembling a less morose RED HOUSE PAINTERS but never shifting up from first gear and the closing "Summer With You" being the one place where the MASTERS do veer too close to cloying, cutesy BELLE AND SEBASTIAN territory for comfort, though at least they peg some brownie points back by taking a melodica with them for the ride.
Ultimately then, "Protest A Dark Anniversary" may not be enough to persuade you to rush headlong into a fully-fledged love affair or even give MASTERS OF THE HEMISPHERE an unconditional key to your heart. However, it's persuasive enough to ensure you'll give them comfy chairs to relax outside and wait around for a while.
I think your patience will be rewarded on this occasion.
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