(The Lost and Lonesome Recording Co.)

As long as you don’t break mine, Fred

Melbournian Fred Astereo has done some shows supporting Australian troubadour Darren Hanlon, but Hanlon better keep an eye on Astereo or next time it will be the other way around. From the opening strain of strings and Astereo’s rich Morrissey-esque voice in the title track, it seems as though I’m in for a baroque pop treat. With an immediate similarity to the musical stylings of The Divine Comedy, Astereo also displays Neil Hannon’s penchant for humorous and witty lyrics Don’t make me sad, don’t make me cry / I’ll love you ‘til the day I kill you, baby in The Loneliest Guy. Astereo’s vocals have that delightful melting timbre that makes his voice a pleasure to listen to, and the arrangements are classically augmented pop, but they never sound stale. Drenched in romanticism but endearingly simple, Astereo could almost make you like this record through sheer will. But he doesn’t need to.

MICHAEL PINCOTT

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