Mess+Noise album review: Hungry Kids Of Hungary – ‘Escapades’, December 2010
An album review for Mess+Noise. Excerpt below.
Hungry Kids Of Hungary – Escapades
At its heart, Escapades – the debut full-length by Brisbane quartet Hungry Kids Of Hungary – is unashamedly a pop record. ‘Coming Around’ is as brash an album opener as you could get, and whether intentional or not, it immediately sets the tone for whether you’ll find this band palatable or sickening. Boosted by Matt Redlich’s crisp pop production, wherein the vocals and harmonies are pushed high in the mix, the track shimmers with a tangible sense of tension – and not just of the sexual variety, though double entendres abound (“Everything was so hard … for us”, “I don’t want you coming around/ But I’ll think you’ll come”). The song sparkles with instrumental embellishment – a distorted lead guitar here, a shifting piano chord progression there – which doens’t obscure the band’s vocal strengths. Put simply, ‘Coming Around’ sounds massive, and belongs up there with the best “side one, track ones” of the year.
With two songwriters in the mix – singer/keyboardist Kane Mazlin, and singer/guitarist Dean McGrath – things could easily get a little cluttered, yet Hungry Kids sidestep this by configuring a balanced tracklist (seven credits to McGrath, five to Mazlin) and exhibiting an unwillingness to over-complicate things. A barely-there overdub in ‘Closer Apart’ – you hear someone clear their throat, light a cigarette, then exhale – adds a sense of intimacy to a track that’s probably the most wholly demonstrative of their songwriting abilities. The subdued rhythm section soon blossoms into an expansive suite, which benefits greatly from the subtle inclusion of a string section. Mazlin’s ‘You Ain’t Always There’ mines a similar vein; so too McGrath’s ‘Eat Your Heart Out’.
Full review at Mess+Noise. More Hungry Kids Of Hungary on MySpace. The music video for their song ‘Coming Around‘ is embedded below.
The Jezabels – Dark Storm
The Holidays – Post Paradise
Surf City – Kudos
Jebediah – ‘Under Your Bed’
Gotye – ‘Eyes Wide Open’
You Am I – You Am I
Written partly between “a brutal Brisbane summer and a bitter New Jersey winter”, this EP from Bigstrongbrute – musical alter ego of Paul Donoughue – is the successor to his self-released album, Gardens In The Gutter (2008, now out of print). What began as a solo project has blossomed into a group effort, both on stage and within this release: friends lend bass, trumpet, flute and piano to augment Donoughue’s frail guitar tone. Besides a contribution from Jessie Warren (aka Carry Nation), who provides guest vocals on ‘In My Own Mind’, it’s Donoughue’s deep, distinctive voice that dominates the mix. His songs are meticulously crafted, yet the end product is played loosely enough by the band to impart a sense of spontaneity and charm.
Beware artists who tag themselves “art rock”. Which is exactly where Brisbane quartet Drawn From Bees positioned themselves with the release of their first EP, The Boy And The Ocean, in late 2008. They’ve since adhered to an admirable work ethic that’s seen them write, record and self-release material every six months under their own label, Bonefinger Records. Fear Not The Footsteps Of The Departed is their first full-length.