The John Steel Singers
Tangalooma
(Dew Process)
Less a particular colour than a whole rainbow, Tangalooma is the debut album from Brisbane six-piece The John Steel Singers, whose invigorating take on indie pop is distinguished by their ample use of brass instruments. But despite their pomp and bluster, it's the subtleties that JSS inject into their sound which makes Tangalooma a truly great record - and importantly, not just a 'great debut'.
Check out the banjo counter-melody in 'Once I'. The whirligig of subtle guitar effects that close out 'Dying Tree', and then lead into the grinding bassline of 'Rainbow Kraut'. The unexpected percussion throughout 'Toes And Fingers', which sounds like drummer Ross Chandler is tapping on glasses filled with different water levels. Chandler is an integral force within the band, and not for the obvious reason that he provides the backbeat: his mind seems to work unlike the average drummer, seemingly obsessed as it is with eschewing the obvious in favour of the peculiar. His stuttering beat ushers in 'Masochist', while Pete Bernoth's trombone and Damien Hammond's bass place emphasis on a three-note flourish. Chandler isn't beyond playing it straight, though, as in 'You've Got Nothing To Be Proud Of', a bass-heavy pop jam that sounds unlike anything the band have done before. Bernoth's trombone and Scott Bromiley's trumpet team-ups could easily be shrugged off as a gimmick if they weren't interwoven into each track's narrative, but they compute. Take, for instance, the assured trombone tones of 'Cause Of Self', which lends the song a regal, military vibe. (It reminds me of the Streets level in GoldenEye 007, which is awesome.)
The inclusion of four previously-released singles hints at just how long Tangalooma remained in gestation before being born - or maybe it's just because I've seen these songs performed live a dozen times in the past few years. Besides 'Rainbow Kraut' from 2008's In Colour EP and both 'Masochist' and 'Overpass', which were released in the lead-up to the LP, there's also 'Evolution' from 2008's Beagle And The Dove mini-LP. This isn't to be frowned upon, if only because of the strength of these songs. It'd be of concern if the rest of the album didn't stack up, but that's not the case. The Darwinian-themed 'Evolution', in particular, is truly one of the best singles to emerge from Brisbane in the last decade, owing to its unforgettable brass-and-bass rhythm and ecstatic chorus ("His solution? Evolution / Spread the news, who's gonna choose God?").
But it's not the best song on the album. That'd be 'Sleep', the final track, which is a huge departure from the band's conventional style of songwriting. More of a moody, meditative piece than a traditional pop song, it's characterised by a circular piano progression that snakes its way through trombone blasts and a droning, repeated guitar note, while the band sing of needing sleep and love. It's a striking note to end on. While much has been made of The John Steel Singers' choice of producer and mixer - Robert Forster of Brispop kings The Go-Betweens, and Animal Collective/Deerhunter/Dirty Projectors associate Nicolas Vernhes, respectively - the reality is that neither contribution could have benefited the band if they didn't have the songwriting talent to back up such lofty artistic partnerships. They do.
Tangalooma is spectacular.
Andrew McMillen