Opener ‘Lookin for Love is a good introduction to the record, with it’s easygoing  charm and grateful lyrics backed by radiant instrumentation and peppered with psychedelic oohs and aahs reminiscent of Evangelicals. ‘Running Thangz’ is more cosmopolitan, the soundtrack to the coolest 80s crime show never written in which both the good and bad guys wear shades and leave one too many buttons undone on their shirts.

“No, I own this floor – this dance floor is my home
Paint your world the colour that’s gonna make you twirl

OoOoOoOohhh we in the same zone
trust your body leave your mind peacefully at home”

‘Baby Blue’ sounds like the more recent Damien Jurado releases, while ‘Trust’ ramps up the tropical ambience and ‘Beautiful Brian’ takes us even further afield to a cosmic paradise, opening with a sound-clip declaring “the only thing I believe up there is the UFOs.” ‘The Finest Scent’ follows the planetary theme with spacey drone before evolving into a joyful pop song that could grace any commercial radio station.

Harley Alexander makes bright music with the sharp edges removed, doped, loose-limbed pop songs, dreamy from a lack of responsibility and washed out from too much sunlight and salt water. This is the sort of music you want to listen to during those small, glorious moments when Real Life backs off to allow an elated contentedness to settle, where the smallest things give you a sense of wonder and joy.

You can buy the album now from Harley Alexander’s Bandcamp page.

P.S. the artwork is by Sophie Wonfor.

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So when David Roderick Cameron, AKA Chips Calipso, emailed us to tell us about his new album, it was pretty strange to tell him (a man from Melbourne, Australia, who currently has 78 ‘likes’ on Facebook) that we were already listening to the album.

I Walked Outside and Felt the Sun is a lovely slice of psychedelic dream pop, complete with a superbly lo-fi veneer. Imagine what MGMT would sound like if they wanted to be garage rock band rather than The Beatles. ‘Tibetan Clouds’ brings to mind the hallucinogenic strangeness of Evangelicals, ‘I Get Back’ is a punkier affair that channels the attitude of Wavves, whereas ‘Pines 2009’ is more laid back, that laconic sort of rock music that sounds good on holidays. Overall, it’s a perfect antidote to these last few summer evenings where the night draws in a little too early.

You can get the album on a pay-what-you-can basis from Bandcamp.

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There are a range of different styles on show across the album; the opener ’Bounce’ begins with a Sigur Ros style horns and drums combo, title track ‘Mean Sun’ is a forebodingly synth-driven affair, ‘Moonwalker’ is a slow and lonely Sci-Fi number, and ‘Mixtape’ closes with a blend of The Middle East and languid MGMT. The are slow burners, crashing crescendos, sparse electronics… they really do cover the musical gamut.

While there is much variation across the album, the whole thing flows neatly as one separate entity and is rewarding when listened to for the full 50 minute running time. There are some clever and interesting lyrics to explore on subsequent listens, delivered nicely in lead Edo Van Breemen’s VanGaalen-esque vocals, giving the record great strength across the board. Previous release Mount Chimaera received some high praise (including a Polaris nomination) and Mean Sun looks set to continue the trend.

Mean Sun is set to be released by Tin Angel Records on 21st October. The band are touring the UK in November (dates below).

03/11/12 Cavern, Exeter, UK.
04/11/12 Buffalo Bar, Cardiff, UK.
05/11/12 The Castle, Manchester, UK.
06/11/12 Taylor John’s House, Coventry, UK.
07/11/12 Surya, London, UK.

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