Music Platters: The Big Pink – A Brief History Of Love (4AD/The Label)

This album doesn’t claim its space on NZ record shop shelves until September 14, but I couldn’t resist blogging my enthusiasm for it.

Here’s the thing: there’s a pop/rock renaissance occurring, and while old farts are claiming (as always) that all the good music happened back in the ’60s or ’70s, there’s just too much cool stuff coming out right now in 2009 to deny.

Here’s some evidence; some bloody great evidence, at that.

The Big Pink are a duo from England. They took their name from an album by American roots-rock band, The Band, who used to back Bob Dylan, but there the connection ends. Turns out ‘The Big Pink’ just happened to be in one of the duo’s parents’ record collection, but it certainly didn’t influence their sound.

And thank goodness for that; The Band are one of the least interesting, most overrated rock groups of all time.

No, The Big Pink have signed to the 4AD label for good reason (it’s a slightly arty label that has housed groups like the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance over the years). Not that they sound like those groups, but they do have a “wall of sound” approach that is reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins, and especially similar to a band that took the Cocteaus sonics to a new level, the legendary My Bloody Valentine.

The Big Pink do two things that generally are mutually exclusive: they write memorable, hummable pop songs/melodies, yet behind those songs is a surging wall of electricity. And like sweet and sour, the two mix together amazingly well.

When the platter starts spinning, it sounds harmless enough, but soon enough it kicks in. It’s one of those albums you really do feel like turning up as loud as you can, and the dissonant noise is a fantastic release and mood-enhancer.

There is a lineage here: from the “shoegazing” bands of the ’80s like the aforementioned Cocteaus and groups like Ride to feedback-drenched outfits like The Jesus & Mary Chain. Even though there’s a Velvet Underground influence in there somewhere, you could claim this style to be specifically English.

‘Crystal Visions’ is a good opener, and is drenched in crackling, kinetic electricity, but it’s the second song, ‘Too Young To Love’, that sees things really kick in. Often with this style of music, producers/engineers compress the sound to get all the intensity in the mids, but this is full-spectrum, with plenty of low end, and the sound effects are so woozy that you may want to bring a sick bag if you suffer motion sickness. It’s an amazing piece of noise.

The pure pop of ‘Dominos’ follows, giving us a false sense of security, because it’s the kind of tune you’re singing along with after one listen. This could be a huge hit, but it’s not just standard pop fodder; if you listen, there’s plenty of interesting sonic detritus floating around, a great chug-a-lug beat that’s clean as a whistle, and some wickedly deep electronic bass arpeggiations.

Ballad ‘Love In Vain’ reinforces the pop angle, as it’s pure Spector; ironically the ’60s girl group producer is showing a huge influence on a range of contemporary bands now that he’s languishing in prison.

‘At War With The Sun’ could easily be transposed into a horrible ’80s synth-pop song, such is its dalliance with cliche, but it’s saved by the group’s determination to play with the sonic soundstage, and ends with a Hendrix-style guitar meltdown.

It’s only with the sixth track, ‘Velvet’, that you realise The Big Pink could easily degenerate to cliche if they’re not careful. Not that it’s bad, just that more so than the other tracks, the listener can predict where the surging power-chord section begins and ends (ie, between verses and choruses), and the melody is strangely absent.

‘Golden Pendulum’ sounds like one of the lesser Beach Boys tracks from after Brian Wilson went to live in his sand pit, with post-production power electronics added to the mix. Once again, the boys show their intrinsic understanding of NOISE, and use a welter of dissonant sound shards to build up a powerful sound collage.

Ditto ‘Frisk’, where freakout synth and guitar float around a power pop song that has an angry, apocalyptic feel to match its lyrics about love-confusion.

The title track, meanwhile, is another big Spectoresque ballad with guest female singer that in a better world, could be a hit single. I could imagine the MTV video, if MTV still existed, that is.

‘Tonight’ is almost a bouncy pop song with dancing synth sounds, and it’s also almost night-club friendly. Probably my least favourite.

And finally, ‘Countbackwards From Ten’, a slow, lumbering, tired-sounding song that suits the end but hardly furthers the cause, and is again rather shorn of the elements that make the group so great.

If The Big Pink ends up toning down its sonic experimentation to improve their commercial prospects, they’ll become just another boring band of English shoegazers, but A Brief History Of Love is a bold, exciting album that will appease both pop fans and those who like exciting sonic adventurism. GARY STEEL

Sound: 4  Music: 4