The Ocean Party - Light Weight

We try to be helpful here at WYMA, so today I'm going to make a gift recommendation for the number one indie pop fan in your life.  The identity of that person probably looks back at you when you stand in front of the mirror, so no postage will be required.  However, if you have friends who like indie pop, you can give this gift as well.  In fact, as psychologists say that the best gifts are those that reflect the tastes of the giver, you probably should give this gift to all of your indie pop-loving friends.  The gift is Light Weight, the new album from Melbourne's The Ocean Party.

This record succeeds on so many fronts.  Because multiple members of the band write, there is incredible freshness to each song.  And perhaps due to an understandable, if unconscious,  competitiveness, each song is a self-contained gem.  One might expect that an album representing this many voices would provide a disconnected listening experience.  But in fact, the album is a coherent aural presentation of introspection set in spacious arrangements.  The songs are gorgeous, bathing your ears in delightful melodies and subtle instrumental details.  It all goes down so easily that your first impression could be that Light Weight is, well, light weight.  But each successive listen will reinforce the perfection of the music, the discipline of the performance and, most of all, the heavy weight lyrical punch.  Of course, that means we hear disappointment, regret, insecurity and revealed flaws.  But the nuanced wording and honesty of expression make the hearing a joy, rather than a bummer.

Three great tracks are below, but try to find and stream the title track and "Real Life" as well.  Hell, stream the whole thing.  Better yet, buy it and listen to all of the songs over and over.  By the way, there are no geographic excuses to not buying Light Weight.  It is released in the United States by Austin Town Hall Records (which is related to the excellent Austin Town Hall music blog), in Australia and New Zealand by Spunk Records, and in the UK and Europe by Caroline Records.







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Austin Town Hall Records
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