KANGAROO
Skyscraper Spaceship (No Alternative Records)
Reviewed by Holly Day

---

The only way I can think to describe this record is exuberant. There is just this thread of fun and joy that runs through all of these songs, even if the subject matter of the songs themselves tend to be a little mournful at times. I mean, yeah, it's just a collection of pop songs, but they're just insanely boppy, and happy, and bouncy, and catchy, without being even slightly annoying. I don't know how they do it, but I sure wish more people could. Besides happiness, the songs are full of really cool harmonies and background vocals, great guitar riffs and borderline (and, I think intentionally) comical noodling, and bits of electronic sampling. All the songs have so much energy to them it feels like they're physically moving from one point to another, building and building from beginning to end, and I only mention this because it seems like so many people just don't know how to properly put songs together anymore, so that you could come in the middle of a song and not feel like you missed anything. That's not the case with Kangaroo's music, however -- there's a definite beginning, middle, and end to all of these pieces, and they feel really nice and right put together like this, and not even slightly contrived or formulaic.

[Pick this up at www.noalternative.com.]

© 2004 - Holly Day