The Boat People -YesYesYesYesYes

Sat 27th Aug, 2005 in Music Reviews

The Boat People may have received a bit of head-scratching in response to their eclectic blend of self-aware pop, complex arrangements and quirky approach to lyric writing. But – perhaps due to a hectic touring schedule and a distinctly humble approach to music creation – the Brisbane four-piece have carved out somewhat of a cult following.

They’ve supported just about everyone who’s jumped on tour over the past few months, and album YesYesYesYesYes is an opportunity to see whether the unadulterated critical support for their live shows can translate onto disc. Triple J single Clean introduces the collection, combining slithers of dominating guitar sustain with opaque snare and cymbals. It’s a very solid pop song, and displays the quintessential Boat People approach of multi-vocal harmonies, sneaky time changes and endearing melodies.

Unsettle My Heart builds from a gentle swinging rhythm and lush vocals into a cascade of powerful choruses. Keyboard punctuates the soaring guitar solo and the depth of instrumentation along with smaller flourishes creates a huge power-pop sound. There’s a hint of Alex Lloyd Black The Sun-era delicate rock, but while the song is furrowed-brow territory, there’s an air of carefree in the fit-like tambourine shaking and cute keyboards.

The band reveal their tendency towards a certain songwriting approach with Irony, an awkward collection of lyrics like

Everything comes out exactly the way I mean
but people tend to take it sarcastic and say I’m being insincere
and when they play a trick on me I take it very serious
until they say they were joking (if they were joking…).

It’s at this point I begin to wonder if the band are as self-aware as I thought. It’s hard to tell whether this number is outward or self-directed, and frankly it’s too much of a grey area to bother entering into.

Sink Into the Sea is all delicate flushes of rhythm and dusty harmonies. The minimalist approach still appears somewhat complex, and once again the collision and depth of instruments saves the track from becoming irritatingly banal. Showcasing some fine Australian inflective, Tell Someone Who Cares is instantly likeable alterna-pop. Insistent rhythms anchor a floating chorus melody and delicately glassy keyboard intercedes at verse intervals, building the track’s strength slowly to meet the foot-tapping chorus.

I’m not sure if it’s the infamous irony in effect, but I’m actually wondering if If We Hadn’t Got Together is for real. Cringe-worthy off key vocals detail a mind-numbingly amateur version of songwriting about street directories, travelling routes and heartbreak. Sorry, I just don’t get it. The tune itself is not too bad – vaguely catchy, and well executed. But everything else is wrong.

The kooky affliction seems to have become full-blown by the time the crazy cabaret of Possum Magic kicks in. Cheerleader-style yells (contributed, incidentally, by Dappled Cities Fly, Ben Stewart and Chris Brady) and excessive use of cymbals, along with some of the worst lyrics you’ve heard outside Australian Idol. This time, there’s nothing redeemable about the song – at all. I find myself wanting to throw sharp objects at the stereo, at the computer, anything. Better steer clear of this one in a live context.

I’m still reeling when the ancient drum machine intro of Building Bridges, Digging Caves appears. Oh no, it’s more upward lilting vocal melodies. Thankfully, the track makes good use of the earnest, unadorned vocals and slowly gathering tension. Shimmering tambourine and drum combinations dot the verses, while the keys provide a dizzying lift-off that catapults the song to a deliberately messy climax.

Closer Me and the Sun finishes the album on a demure note. Acoustic strumming and just the faintest hint of bass introduce the song, and James O’Brien’s vocals are unusually unaccompanied. Miniature drumrolls permeate the first verses and heavy sustain on the added guitar gives a harp-like impression. It’s clear these four guys have an enviable amount of instrument mastery between them, which makes me wonder why they appear to waste it on a few of the tracks on YesYesYesYesYes. Perhaps the reasons for making intentionally childish tunes like Possum Magic perhaps border into some intellectual code. Maybe it’s just an opportunity to relish simplistic songwriting, a break in between crafting some obviously laboured-over numbers (the gorgeous Unsettle My Heart, Clean).

Either way, I still don’t get it. And maybe I never will.