There is a very strong energy present in the new album from Pick A Piper, headed by Brad Weber, who has in his time played in Caribou. This explains why an element of Caribou’s warmth has worked its way in to songs like ‘All Her Colours’, and may also account for the intricacy in some of the arrangements like ‘Zenaida’. On other occasions, though, there is a much more live sound as the band often go for broke with a rich selection of percussion that suggests they’ve been listening to a bit of Foals. ‘Once Were Leaves’ mines this approach, with increasingly elaborate drum fills, but ‘South to Polynesia’ goes one step further, the album’s best track panning out to reveal an expansive breakdown. This is impressive and ambitious stuff, and although occasionally it threatens to go down a more dodgy ‘indie dance’ route, there is plenty to enjoy here.
4 out of 5
Reviewed By Ben Hogwood
