by The Ocean Party
The Ocean PartyLight Weight (PBS feature record)
Light Weight is the fifth album in about half as many years from Melbourne-based group The Ocean Party. This time they’ve been in the studio proper, working with John Lee (Lost Animal, Love of Diagrams). You’ll hear the difference and their development. Go back to their earliest recordings (a bunch of singles in 2011 preceding two albums in 2012, then another, and yet another in 2014. Prolific!) and they were much more Go-Betweens-inspired pop. Now we can hear the strength of synths for structure and mood, behind their signature summery guitar sound. It’s great to hear some new sounds as sax is selectively added into the mix, though some more of the early harmonies would be welcome.
By Maddy Mac– Homebrew
Lou Doillon Lay Low (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
Lou Doillon's second album Lay Low is hard to define – her soulful, bluesy voice is incredibly striking over the beautiful piano-driven melodies. This combination alone makes this album unique, but her arrangements are also interesting and it feels like there's nothing wasted here. Everything has been stripped back to what’s needed and no more. There are similarities to her acclaimed first album Places, but Lay Low has a different delivery to it which may in part be the influence of Taylor Kirk of Timber Tambre who helped produce the album. Doillon also cites the Canadian wilderness as inspiration for the album which may be where some of the bareness comes from. For artists who have famous relatives it can hard to break away out (her mother is Jane Birkin and her father is film director Jacques Doillon) but with Lay Low Lou Doillon is fast cementing herself as a talent in her own right.
By Cat– The Breakfast Spread
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