Sparkadia - Postcards

Thu 15th May, 2008 in Music Reviews

Are Sydney-based outfit Sparkadia too nice? Judging by first impressions of their debut full-length, Postcards, you’d be forgiven for thinking so. This is a band that revels in the sunnier side of pop-rock (in the good sense, not the Good Charlotte sense) and sometimes this sweeter-than-sugar disposition can be a bit grating.

In their defense, Sparkadia write great songs. Every track on Postcards is the kind of indie music that will have op-shop princesses salivating. Think The Thrills mixed with local upstarts Yves Klein Blue and you’re pretty much there. There’s a definite emphasis on production that was woefully lacking in the group’s EPs – they sound fuller and ultimately more confident after a shot of big studio treatment.

Lead singer Alex Burnett has a lovely, honey-coated set of pipes that would have gone down a treat in the glory days of the – œ60s. Some cuts are just too saccharine to fathom, like the plodding Connected. Luckily they’re offset by snappy little numbers Morning Light and current single Too Much To Do. Postcards is a hit-and-miss affair that mostly achieves its goals. It’s the little Aussie independent record that could. But next time, kids, hold the sugar.