What will the album of the summer be? As we finally hit June, it’s the question on
every music lover’s lips. ‘In A Tidal
Wave Of Mystery’, the debut LP from Capital Cities, is a strong contender,
because nothing says summer more than ecstatically happy light hearted
fun. And trumpets. Lots of trumpets.
The LA pop duo’s style is exemplified by Farrah Fawcett Hair at the centre of the
album. Vibrant and schizophrenic, the
track follows some crazy twists and turns as a spoken monologue lists
everything that’s good about the world.
What other song jumps from sampling Miles Davis to a guest appearance
from Andre 3000? It’s the very
definition of feelgood and, as the chorus claims, it really is “good shit, baby”.
As a whole, the album is positively overflowing with fizzing
pop hooks, funky guitar grooves and frothy fun.
It comes as no surprise that the duo honed their craft as jingle writers,
allowing them to experiment with a variety of genres and develop their skills
as composers of melody. This training in
commercial music lends itself to mainstream pop, with the album amongst the
catchiest and most upbeat records of the year so far.
In a recent interview with Billboard, the duo said of writing
Farrah Fawcett Hair, “we went into
it with absolutely no rules”.
This certainly rings true of the album as a whole. It’s a collision of genres, instrumentation,
samples and beats wrapped up in a quirky, unpredictable pop package – from the
jubilant opening (and lead single) Safe
and Sound, to the buoyant Kangaroo
Court, the cartoonish vocal sample on Origami,
and the sitar solo on Tell Me How To
Live. Every song is an unexpected
delight, bursting into your ears in a tidal wave of neon sunshine.
Most of all, ‘In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery’ is an incredibly
inventive album that sees the duo having fun with music. And isn’t that what pop’s all about? This is a tightly produced, playful and
utterly joyous album, and it’s WONDERFUL.
4/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Kangaroo Court
* Farrah Fawcett Hair
* Origami
Listen: ‘In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery’ was released on 4th
June in the US.