Twentysomething - MusicFrom The ABC TV Series

Fri 25th Nov, 2011 in Music Reviews

Twentysomething is a six-part comedy/drama series that aired on the ABC earlier this year. In an attempt to illustrate its characters and their world, as well as appeal to an identical demographic, the show wisely drew upon an abundance of local, unsigned indie acts to soundtrack the series. The following is a recap of the eighteen tracks that appear on the compilation.

1. Dan Sultan – Fear Of Flying
A bouncy elastic band bassline underscores Dan Sultan’s bluesy swagger. Sultan exudes charisma aplenty, establishing just why he’s emerged a true indie icon over the past two years. Hi presence enough is enough to render Fear Of Flying – the show’s theme tune – an entertaining enough inclusion. However, the fact that the song explores its entire direction inside of thirty seconds proves disappointing.

2. Polygon Palace – Pick Up The Pieces
Alas, it’s not a cover of the Average White Band. Instead, Polygon Palace offer a glossy electro-rock aesthetic on autopilot. The song vaguely resembles The Wombats’ latest endeavours, albeit a dilute replica. Pick Up The Pieces is pretty toothless track, though its apparent dance floor appeal should win its fair share of fans. It’s a shame that it rambles for about a minute and a half longer than necessary.

3. Dead Letter Chorus – Run Wild
Dead Letter Chorus inject a gleeful hit of earthy twee pop into proceedings. Fans of Givers and Big Scary rejoice: this cute inclusion is definitely in the spirit of the aforementioned acts. For a song titled Run Wild, it seems to play it rather safe until the last possible moment, content to keep within its cheery confines. Nevertheless, Dead Letter Chorus present an enjoyable 3:30.

4. Hawks of Alba – Over Before It Ended
For alt-rockers Hawks of Alba, it’s a case of so near and yet so far. Over Before It Ended draws liberally upon textbook pop sensibilities, with elements aplenty to embrace, though the execution still feels a bit off. The overall result comes off as complacent, a methodical grunge laid down in spite of the song’s potential to be a rousing indie-pop hit. Everything sounds tired, right down to the dreary vocal delivery, when the song could sound so urgent and alive.

5. Hell City Glamours – No Love
Say it isn’t so: here is yet another incarnation of British India with a dash of inspiration from Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters thrown in for good measure. Hell City Glamours present a fairly academic tune and one far from essential, if only for its derivative nature. It isn’t too difficult to cite their influence or draw studious comparisons. However, therein-lies the good news for the band: there’s definitely an audience for this kind of thing.

6. Loon Lake – Into The Office
Melbourne’s Loon Lake indulge in a frenetic fun-loving rocker that panders to The Strokes’ faithful. Into The Office demonstrates a great intensity and enthusiasm within the band, though the studio recording feels somewhat limited. One suspects their craft could manifest with more vibrancy and polish in a live setting.

7. Tales In Space – The Cause
A gritty percussive march paves the way for a dreamy ambiance, as Tales In Space layer on the vacation vibe thick. Just when you think the band have exhausted every mode of expression they have to offer here, they surface with a surprise or two. The 8-bit interference in particular proves a melodic masterstroke. The Cause exudes a cool serenity, evolving into a sweet indie-pop gem with great poise.

8. Big Scary – Falling Away
They’re the indie act that barely need an introduction these days. The dynamic duo tend to milk as much as they can from their sparse two-piece configuation and here, Big Scary rise to the occasion. As expected, piano and percussion work in tandem to illustrate deftly evocative journey, one that flies in the fact of its apparent stripped back simplicity. A pretty song, though there’s better material to be lifted from their debut album Vacation.

9. Winston Giles – High On A Feeling
Giles presents a chirpy chillout vibe made complete with his spaced-out slide guitar. High On A Feeling suffers for its serenity, refusing to break the its moody pattern and securing a pretty monotonous state of affairs in the process. Though Giles’ song works as a feel good interlude, it’s wholly unexciting.

10. Love Connection – Trilogy
Love Connection trump the exorbitant running time of High On A Feeling, their Trilogy clocking in at an excessive 6:30. From the outset, a tom-tom stomp tumbles beneath surging keys and cool vocals. Much like High On A Feeling, Trilogy settles in and refuses to budge from its comfort zone. Love Connection entertain no ingenuity whatsoever here, squander their extensive platform on an exercise in abhorrently dull repetition. Only the final thirty seconds account for a point of difference as serious potential goes unrealised.

11. The Keepsakes – Paper Bridges
Though The Keepsakes’ hit of romanticised indie-rock appears pleasant enough, it’s a bit on the bland side to command any lasting interest. Sweetness, it seems, can only account for so much. As with Polygon Palace, The Keepsakes stretch Paper Bridges as far as it will go. The Keepsakes have achieved perfectly acceptable pop here, though their approach goes without a great impression.

12. Momenta – Magic
A jungle trance rhythm assumes control from the outset, Momenta taking cues from Cut Copy. A furious electronic flurry paves the way for a bout of cool nostalgia. The chorus shines above all else despite its naff disposition, Momenta’s simple yet effective song-craft evident.

13. Red Ink – Antidote
In addressing the music of Red Ink, a hybrid of Music For Animals, The Virgins and The Darkness springs to mind. Antidote is simply bristling with indie-rock bravado and it’s a joy to hear. One spin of this fun little track is enough to demonstrate that Red Ink are a band with a rich commercial prospect in them somewhere. This isn’t it, though the fact that such a suspicion could be derived from Antidote is at least promising.

14. Alba Varden – Soul Digger (Mphazes Remix)
This remix lays bare a hit of gritty kick-drum thumping electro-rock, its striking chorus the obvious attraction. Fortunately, Soul Digger emerges a lot less obnoxious as those tracks with similar inclinations spread across the compilation.

15. Peacocks – 42
42 easily ranks among the best dance-oriented tracks this collection has to offer. The song’s hook -’I had the best dream last night after 42 sleepless hours,’ – appears convoluted on the surface, but it actually makes for a killer centrepiece, lingering long beyond its conclusion. Put simply, 42 is a lot of fun. Peacocks’ expertise appears bound to rival the likes of locals Strange Talk.

16. 8 Bit Love – You Like It
This song is relentless, contributing to the compilation’s obnoxious second half. As you’d expect from the band name, You Like It follows a methodical electro-rock approach. Its lyricism unintentionally captures the insistence of a clingy friend hellbent on validation. ‘Shake it, shake it – I want to see how you shake it!’ 8 Bit Love demand, before asserting ‘You like it, you like it – tell me how much you like it!’ You Like It is not exactly insufferable, though it is relentless and a tad vacuous, feeling like one giant chorus.

17. My Robot Friend (feat. Dean Wareham) – By Your Side
By Your Side simmers gently, emerging a cute, pensive indie-pop marvel. Unfortunately, My Robot Friend leave the listener hanging. By Your Side doesn’t really develop a great deal beyond its early stages, content in its cut and dry sentimentality. A pleasant enough inclusion, though one where My Robot Friend needed to flex their creative muscles just a little more.

18. Jinja Safari – Peter Pan
Jinja Safari conclude the Twentysomething compilation with their saccharine song craft. “Love has come at last, throw your sorrows in the past, dancing in the rain!” they advise coolly amidst an earthy ambiance, the basking in their hipster-chic affair. Peter Pan emerges a deftly spiritual gem and one of the standouts of the collection.

Overall, the Twentysomething compilation is an enjoyable release despite an obligatory patchiness of inherent in most compilations, capturing Australia’s youth culture through an intriguing selection of local, unsigned indie acts.