September 04, 2025

Merril Bainbridge - Between The Days (1998)

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Country: Australia
Genre: Pop, Pop Rock
Label Number: USD-53154
 
© 1998 Universal Records
Reading the lyric sheet to Between the Days, Bainbridge's follow-up to the successful Garden, one wonders how the singer will turn such trite words into clever songs. Yet, from the first notes of the title track Bainbridge's little-girl voice hits all the peaks and valleys of the melody like an old pro, pulling nuances that you never knew existed out of those simple sentences. Credit is due to her long-time collaborator, Siew, whose clean, layered production gives the songs a depth that wouldn't be found otherwise, allowing them to breathe and expand as Bainbridge's vocals effortlessly float over top. 
 
 tags: merril bainbridge, between the days, 1998, flac,
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The Neighbourhood - I Love You. (2013)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Indie Pop
Label Number: 88883 70493 2
 
© 2013 Columbia/The [R]evolve Group
The Neighbourhood's debut album I Love You is equal parts stadium-sized indie rock and slick electronic pop with a little bit of contemporary R&B thrown in. In other words, it has everything it takes to appeal to a fan of modern pop music in 2013. Especially if that fan is into Maroon 5 and Coldplay, because a large percentage of the album sounds like Adam Levine fronting that band as they churn out one wide-screen midtempo ballad after another. It’s a blend of styles that doesn't quite work as well as it might have, as the light and slinky vocals of Jesse Rutherford don’t quite match up with the ponderous nature of the music, which leaves most of the album feeling like it was built out of parts that weren’t designed to be fitted together. Where it works better are the moments when the band switches up the tempo or scales back on the bombastic arrangements. "Sweater Weather"'s stripped-down verses and almost funky beats add a little life to the sound and Rutherford sounds more at home bopping along to the rhythms. The album closer "Float" has a little bounce to it as well, though it is brought down to earth by the echoing, overblown production. The same applies to "Alleyways." If the production had been a little more restrained and the band had written a few songs that didn't sound like they were meant to be played by U2 after a couple days spent listening to Top 40 radio, the album might not have been quite the heavy and ponderous thing it is. Without any breaks in the clouds though, the heavy pressure just builds and builds, leaving the listener with an overall experience that is oppressively grey and joyless. 
 
tags: the neighbourhood, i love you, 2013, flac,
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The Neighbourhood - Wiped Out! (2015)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Indie Pop
Label Number: 88875 15189 2
 
© 2015 Columbia
California's the Neighbourhood are on a mission to make goth R&B a touchstone in the musical lexicon. It's a sound they championed on their debut album, 2013's I Love You, and continue to explore on their sophomore effort, 2015's Wiped Out! Once again working with producer Justyn Pilbrow, the Neighbourhood expand upon the moody synth, heavy bass, and echoey guitar-based style of I Love You with a collection of tracks that, while not mind-blowing, will pleasingly remind most fans of the group's 2012 breakout track, "Sweater Weather." While other artists have flirted with the darker side of R&B, including Lana Del Rey, the xx, and Halsey (who also worked with Pilbrow on her similarly inclined 2015 debut, Badlands), the Neighbourhood commit to the aesthetic wholeheartedly on Wiped Out! Lead singer Jesse Rutherford brings a louche, cool-guy vibe to the microphone that combines the delicately melismatic lilt of The Weeknd with the plaintive angst of the Cure's Robert Smith. It's a memorable, if somewhat overly self-conscious stance. One minute, he's crooning self-seriously through fuzzy, echo-chamber effects ("Prey"); the next, he's sitting back, seemingly commanding the listener through pure hip-hop swagger ( "R.I.P. 2 My Youth"). This savvy, cross-genre approach means Wiped Out! will play well next to albums by any number of modern artists from Kanye West to Coldplay. It also doesn't hurt that cuts like "Cry Baby," "Daddy Issues," and "Greetings from Califournia" counteract the band's somewhat downtempo vibe with catchy melodies and light, dance-oriented beats. As the black & white album cover illustration of a palm tree on a beach implies, this is surf music for street goths and beach bums with bad attitudes. 
 
tags: the neighborhood, wiped out, 2015, flac,
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