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BLASTOIDS
KIDS HANDS SMELL LIKE GLITTER (2009)
Posted 24/09/09
Before I dive into the dissection of this rather tasty record, I shall offer a little background knowledge. Murfreesboro, Tennessee is home to the group of musicians known as the ‘Owlhead Collective’. In May of this year the group released the new Blastoids record named Kids Hands Smell Like Glitter, and it’s a feat.
The opening track "Morning Light" sparks the albums fuse with a withdrawn yet pulsing rhythm, a great introductory track. The album then takes us into the jaws of "Kids & Candy", this track plays like a modern campfire sing-song, fantastic use of beastly backing vocals nestled tightly behind the dominating lead vocal. The pure magic brought to the table by the brief bursts of brass towards the end of "Fake Indians" highlight that this albums’ addictiveness is partly due to its occasional subtleties.
The galactic hooks featured in standout track "Cowboy" show a light-hearted side to the record. The albums’ overall sound is served mature, and actually cast shadows over the material of most other similar sounding contemporary acts. The records’ synth lines carry a lot of melodic weight throughout; they are, in places, reminiscent of the work of early 1970s ‘Yes’.
After a sampled narrative introduction, "Human Bells" blooms into a smooth verse backed by a deep and relaxed beat. This track poses as a standout due to its captivating structure, its ups and downs and its belting chorus sections.
If you like your ‘Animal Collective’ howls, your ‘Abe Vigoda’ beats and your ‘Wavves’ harmonies, download this album for free now from their myspace page (forward slash blastoids). Not only is Kids Hands Smell Like Glitter comprised of many fascinating sounds and structures, as cheesy as it sounds, this album plays as if one of its main ingredients was the simple act of ‘fun’.
From barrages of noise ("Trout Dick") to offerings of peace ("Mommydaddy"), this album is a great example of the Baroque-Pop influenced Tropical Punk music currently rising onto the scene. Hopefully this album will not be overlooked when this period of music is truly embraced, genuine DIY talent must be celebrated. And indeed, this record is a blast!
By Leigh Padley
9:42 PM
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