(Romantic/Fuse Music Group)

Outstanding debut album from adventurous Sydney duo

Matt Noffs and Mike McGlynn comprise The Best Believes, who have created a not entirely successful, but certainly fascinating and occasionally luminous debut album. The record evokes a range of moods – for instance, the dreamy pop section of Out Of The Woods is brimming with the autumnal sunniness of Underground Lovers’ circa Dream It Down.  It’s also a far-from-humourless journey through an array of musical styles, the duo dabbling in nervy blue-eyed soul (Benjamin), beer barn Bowie-isms (I Am A Vampire) and a fair bit in between. This eccentricity occasionally brings to mind a parallel universe Ween who don’t say “dude” quite so much (though the sleeve illustrates they are man enough to hug it out). Some tracks fall short – the honky-tonk electro of Chai doesn’t do a great deal in its five minutes. When they take their time in a song, the pair proves more in their element when they tackle the dreamily sludgy indie-rock of The Spider And The Fly. The many highlights dazzle – such as the superb piano solo at the end of Atlas’ cough syrup country rock, the aforementioned Benjamin’s winning chorus and the benevolent night-time shimmer to Space Between Stars. Pretty darn good.

****

MATT THROWER

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