Nominated by: G 'Bad Boy' K
Music club: Wander to Wozza's
Playlist addition: Dancing In The Storm
In the past, I have kind of dismissed Boom Crash Opera as INXS-lite. Which is unfair, but also accurate, I feel.
Aussie groups of the late eighties like INXS, Icehouse and Boom Crash Opera tended to have similar approaches (super slick commercial pop) and used similar production techniques.
The major difference between the three was that Icehouse and INXS had huge hits and BCO didn't. At least, none that I can recall.
So, the big Aussie pop sound of 1989 dominates right from the off. The first three songs are hugely important for any album because they set the scene. The weird thing is here that I didn't like the first three songs at all (or the last song Superheroes), but then I actually quite enjoyed most of the rest of the album proper (the bonus tracks don't add anything to the party).
The first three (and let's get them out of the way quickly):
1) Onionskin is an okay song but the kitchen sink is thrown at it. Brass, guitar solo, synth stabs, big drums, gang vocals. The bombast continues on...
2) Where There's A Will has the same kitchen sink approach and desperately wants to be an INXS song with all that repetition going on.
3) The Best Thing has the lead vocalist doing his best Bono impression.
From then on they settle into a more relaxed sound (while it continues a kind of pick-the-soundalikes game). Piece Of The Pie sounds like The Angels so it's in the running for my favourite track. It also messes a bit with their pop formula and moves in a few different directions, albeit tentatively.
So, a mixture of negative (first three and last songs) and positive (the rest) for me. For the most part, the lads are having a good time - it doesn't sound forced. Their hearts are in the right place and there are those mid album songs, post the first three, that I enjoyed on repeat outings apart from Piece Of The Pie:
Forever is nicely weird and benefits by being less in-yer-face. It almost sounds like indie-pop; End Up Where I Started also has a quirkiness (Cherry Poppin' Daddies came to mind) that is appealing and the brass arrangement works for once, i.e. it swings; Dancing In The Storm benefits from a great bass line, excellent Midnight Oil style group vocals, and it's on a bed of acoustic guitar which I think always helps a song sell itself; Mountain Of Strength wins me over with the same formula - acoustic guitar, some space around the instruments and some harmonica!
Having said all that, my underlining thought was - when would I ever play this album again? It's a bit too noisy and brash for early morning or late evening (I need more meditative sounds then - this one was built to be played loud). During the day then? Well, no - because there are so many other albums I'd prefer to listen to during the day.
Still, I'm glad I heard those boys in action. Thanks for their selection Mr 'Bad Boy'.
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