Structure and Cosmetics
Label: Sub Pop
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Structure and Cosmetics
As a rule, chamber-pop acts and other merchants of hipster nostalgia are nothing if not straightforward. On their first release for a U.S. label, this fetching ’60s pastiche band from New Zealand proves far less predictable than they appear on paper. Beyond the boy/girl dynamics and lush, symphonic sound, the Brunettes’ songs demonstrate unorthodox evolutions and shifting scales, sometimes taking cue from Wings’ sonic architecture and resulting in little suites. ‘Her Hairagami Setâ?� sounds like two different songs woven together and features a lovely outro. The backbone is their undeniable skill with popcraft. ‘Obligatory Road Songâ?� moves in nimble, perfect wisps; the wistful ‘Small Town Crewâ?� personifies the disarming charm of the female voice; and the sighing ‘If You Were Alienâ?� sweeps by on peppermint breezes. Complete with panorama and dark elegance, the title song finds the Brunettes acting out Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra. Pleasantly immediate but filled with surprise, Structure and Cosmetics is the elegant culmination of fluidity and complexity.
This article appears in Aug 8-14, 2007.