The Bellair Lip Bombs : "Again"

This band from Austrailia has flown under the radar for 8 years, and it is now time for them to step into the spotlight.This serves as a follow-up to their album "Lush Life."  Their new album opens with a high-energy jangle that finds early college rock colliding with the slacker sounds of the '90s. Singer Maisie Everett adds a detached layer of cool girl indifference to the sonic ramble of their sometimes Velvet Underground-like sonic attack. The overall sound is a more historically accurate depiction of where post-punk originated before evolving into what we know as indie rock. This is highlighted on a song like "AnotherWorld," where the droning drive is punctuated by her vocal hooks. 

The real strength of their songwriting does not lie in when they are cranked to ten and riding the tension of the riff, but when they back off, give in to a quirky groove, and give Everett more room to sing. She shows the kind of pop sensibilities that make their true songwriting chops known. "Back of My Hand" finds more emotion creeping into her voice as she belts it out a little more. This is broken up by a more rock n roll riff. There is less twangy folkiness to her voice that, at times, reminds me of Kathryn Critchfield, who might be one of her more subtle influences. The more punk-rooted simmer of their music obscures this. 

"Hey You" takes post-punk tension and writes a pop song over the throb, but runs through a more organic guitar filter. The production choices with this song allow her vocal take more room to explore ambiance. Her vocal approach obcures the fact that they are employing riffs more like the Rolling Stones on " If You've Got the Time". They do not drag the song out but there is a more jammed feel to how it moves.. The jangle down the middle of the road with their less compelling "Smiling". Then things drop down into more of an introspective ballad of sorts with "Burning Up". The last song revisits sounds and themes we have already explored on this album. But overall, the personality of their songwriting wins out despite weaving the songs from familiar sounds; it works so well, I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. Not that dark of an album, but it is still dropping on Halloween/

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