Aussie
powerpop legends back with a new LP!
We love a bit of
powerpop round our house so it's not surprising that this new album
from The Innocents has had some heavy rotation on our stereo of late.
The band have been Tasmania's leading exponents of the genre for some
40 years, and their talent showing no signs of diminishing.
Originally formed as
Beathoven in 1975, the band soon changed their name to The Innocents
and released a string of powerpop gems that chimed with skinny tie
era. The revitalised band gained a new lease of life in the early
noughties when a compilation, The No Hit Wonders From Down Under
(2002) quickly sold out
of its limited run. Their new album Teardrop Kiss has all the
hallmarks of their best work – punchy, melodic songs that straddle
the emotional line between happy and sad, lyrics that somehow manage
to be both specific and universal, all backed with guitar crunch,
uptempo beats, three-part harmonies and iced with enough variety and
flourishes to make listening in one sitting such a pleasurable
breeze.
The old adage about
not judging a book by its cover doesn't apply in this case. The
album's cover is reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein's comic book style
art - eye-catching, bright, immediate, seemingly simple yet with true
depth. All qualities shared by the music.
Another reason for The
Innocents' new lease of life came via their inclusion on the bills at
David Bash's small but perfectly formed International Pop Overthrow
festivals. For those unfamiliar with the IPOs, they take place yearly
at various (mainly US) cities with a strong musical heritage, as well
as ventures over to Europe recently even such unlikely places as Tel
Aviv. I've been to a couple of these when they've taken place at
Liverpool's Cavern Club. If you can make it along to any I highly
recommend you do. Even more so if The Innocents are playing. And if
you can't get along to one, do try and track down this CD
The Innocents are -
Rob Smith – Vocals /
Guitar
Greg Cracknall –
Vocals / Bass
Charles Touber –
Vocals / Rhythm Guitar
Click here for The
Innocents' website.
Click here for The
Innocents on Facebook.
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