The Ocean Party - Soft Focus
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Image courtesy of Spunk Records
I wanted so badly to love this record; for it to be a revelation…and it so nearly was.
From the opening refrain I found myself in a beloved and familiar landscape; that circa-1985-NME aesthetic. It was recalling The Triffids, Prefab Sprout and perhaps a little Lloyd Cole, albeit with a rather more languorously Australian delivery. And while the tonal qualities of the vocals hark more to GANGgajang than the Go-Betweens, they benefit by thus sitting more kindly amidst the instrumentation.
For some time I was trying to identify what was missing until I realised that it wasn’t an absence, but a distracting presence that kept me from embracing this record. It was the presence of effort - an effort to capture effortlessness - permeating what could otherwise be a perfectly perfect record.
From the opening refrain I found myself in a beloved and familiar landscape; that circa-1985-NME aesthetic. It was recalling The Triffids, Prefab Sprout and perhaps a little Lloyd Cole, albeit with a rather more languorously Australian delivery. And while the tonal qualities of the vocals hark more to GANGgajang than the Go-Betweens, they benefit by thus sitting more kindly amidst the instrumentation.
For some time I was trying to identify what was missing until I realised that it wasn’t an absence, but a distracting presence that kept me from embracing this record. It was the presence of effort - an effort to capture effortlessness - permeating what could otherwise be a perfectly perfect record.
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Whereas the aforementioned artists used too-smart-by-half lyrical hooks (to be fair, easier to get away with in 1985…) as counter to the musical sparseness, The Ocean Party seem uncertain of which way to go.
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It’s like they really want to namedrop philosophers, but (are smart enough to) know that unless you’re Robert Forster, it ain’t gonna wash. When they turn to more contemporary tropes (a lá Real Estate) and swap lyrical majesty for abstract reference or ethereal pop hook, I feel like they are far more on the money, referencing the past rather than fighting with its legacy.
The listener waits too long - not until the sixth track of the album, “Floodlights” - for a shift in tempo. Importantly, the effect delivers one of the highlights of the album, and marks a shift into what I found a far more endearing second half. |
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“Charters Towers” perfectly captures the melancholy of this country’s long, lost highways, and “Deluded” – my highlight – is built around classy progression and quirky instrumentation that allows the lyrics the freedom to be just as they are. Similarly, “Norman Street” elicits a minimal dreaminess that feels more restful within their collective sensibilities.
These days, I suspect an eight-song album is considered a somewhat half-arsed effort, but in the era from whence this album’s aesthetic was formed, such an effort was perfectly acceptable. Consider The Blue Nile’s seven-track masterwork A Walk Across the Rooftops. Released in 1984, it sustains their legacy - if not commercially, certainly critically. With such examples in mind, this record’s many excellent qualities are, for mine, stretched across a few songs too many. Perhaps it is this simple equation that makes traversing the divide between good and great a bridge too far. Andy Wear Soft Focus is out now through Spunk Records |
Photo by Mary Kang
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THE SOFT FOCUS TOUR:
Saturday 8 November: Croatian Club, Newcastle $10 on the door Sunday 9 November: Wombarra Bowls Club, Wollongong $10 on the door Friday 21 November: The Tote, Melbourne $10 on the door Saturday 22 November: The Metro, Adelaide FREE Friday 28 November: The Landsdowne, Sydney FREE |