(The Lost And Lonesome Recording Co)

Perth combo get spooky on second album

Debut album from The Bank Holidays As A Film was a thoroughly loveable indie-pop record, lushly produced by J Walker and making tidy work of standard indie pop influences (Brian Wilson, The Shins etc). They are a sparser, slower, more haunting band on this wintry second album. The sweeping melancholy of The Motif comes with stately piano and when they do revisit the harmonics of Brian Wilson they do it with greater panache, as on the vibes-infused His Majesty’s Voice with its hints of both Wouldn’t It Be Nice and Til I Die. The boy-girl harmonies are as potent as ever, but it’s particularly Bekk Crombie who comes into her own as a vocalist, boasting a ‘60s-esque melodic purity (no fashionable affectations to be found here, the tune always comes first). The a cappella title track could be one of the more reflective moments on The Zombies’ Odessey And Oracle (sic), segueing effortlessly into the most James Mercer-esque moment on the album, the stunning pop of Oxford Street. All in all, Sail Becomes A Kite is not only a considerable evolution from their 2007 debut, it’s possibly one of the more significant Australian releases of the year.

****˝  

MATT THROWER

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