MAJOR
The Bliss Domestic (Laughing Outlaw Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Is this Australian quartet the perfect power pop band? Just maybe. They're already a hit in Japan, where pop music is a national obsession of religious proportions, and every track on this, their debut full length release for Australia's Laughing Outlaw Records, can fairly be described as 'radio ready,' whether it's the pure pop goodness of the title track or the rumbling rock out of "Mr. Whistle."

Fronted by Danny and Jarrod, the brothers Murphy, who are joined by Simon Bates and Miles Nicholas, they play with a precision that belies their relatively short history (as recently as 2000 the Murphys were still appearing as an acoustic duet), and offer up the kind of harmonies that seem to require blood relationships. The songs are lyrically clever and full of hooks sufficient to land whales.

I'm at a loss for more to say without simply reciting a string of superlatives that would only delay your acquisition of the album, a delay that cannot be justified...I'm just happy to have gotten through this without making the inevitable, if fully justified, insectoid references.

Track List:

Clown Of The Show * Smart Casual * Choosing No. Five * The Bliss Domestic * Big Deal * Shake * All Of My Promises * Mr. Whistle * Circa Time * No Regrets No Goodbyes * Without Love * The Time Honoured Way

© 2004 - Shaun Dale