New Zealand Pop Duo Holds On To Fun
Kyle Centers
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Entertainment
Since their 2002 debut album "Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks," The Brunettes have held on to the notion that the most important aspect of pop music is fun and have clung on to that ideal for dear life. The New Zealand duo, voiced by Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield, has time and time again struck the right chord with their audience, much to the happiness of their signed label Lil' Chief Records; Lil' Chief also launched with The Brunettes' first album.
The year 2005 was the group breakout as they toured America as the opening act for The Shins shortly after the release of their sophomore effort, "Mars Loves Venus." The exposure and success led to the signing of all future American releases to be produced by the Sub Pop Records label. This led to their 2007 album, "Structure and Cosmetics," being the most highly praised release for the band.
"Structure and Cosmetics" is constantly referred to as Bree and Mansfield's most accomplished work. According to SPIN, "With the band's third LP and Sub Pop debut, Heather Mansfield and Jonathan Bree inject their twee aesthetic with psychedelic flourishes both buoyant and shadowy." Tiny Mix Tapes called The Brunettes like "stepping on a landmine of pop innovations, the explosion disperses in the forms of fuzz-infused post-rock and 1960s diner nostalgia."
Street release for The Brunettes' fourth album, "Paper Dolls," is Feb. 2, 2010 by Lil' Chief Records and the CD's American release will most likely be handled by Sub Pop Records as their contract is still in effect.
At its best, "Paper Dolls" combines a clever call-and-response levity, an undercurrent of smoldering romance, and a penchant for idiosyncratic storytelling. Catchy pop hooks are bridled with entertaining and sharp lyrics while balanced with drum machines and a vast amount of synth. The quirky mood is kept upbeat throughout most of the album while a few slow songs including the title track, "Paper Dolls," eases the pace for a chance to catch up.
Fun is the driving force behind the album with Mansfield and Bree never losing sight of that. The twosome spends most of the CD storytelling with pop hooks to drum beats. The almost campy nature of some of the songs is offset by the compelling undertones of the title track and the album's closers, "If I" and "Thank you."
With this sense of fun firmly intact, The Brunettes have been able to build on their previous work while maintaining the aesthetic that helped them gain so much attention and success in the first place. At a brief 35 minutes, "Paper Dolls" reaffirms the brilliance of a simple melody. Hopefully American audiences will catch a clue and not look past The Brunettes quirky folk-ish tempo avoiding the terrible lip-synced crap we get stuck with here in the States.
The year 2005 was the group breakout as they toured America as the opening act for The Shins shortly after the release of their sophomore effort, "Mars Loves Venus." The exposure and success led to the signing of all future American releases to be produced by the Sub Pop Records label. This led to their 2007 album, "Structure and Cosmetics," being the most highly praised release for the band.
"Structure and Cosmetics" is constantly referred to as Bree and Mansfield's most accomplished work. According to SPIN, "With the band's third LP and Sub Pop debut, Heather Mansfield and Jonathan Bree inject their twee aesthetic with psychedelic flourishes both buoyant and shadowy." Tiny Mix Tapes called The Brunettes like "stepping on a landmine of pop innovations, the explosion disperses in the forms of fuzz-infused post-rock and 1960s diner nostalgia."
Street release for The Brunettes' fourth album, "Paper Dolls," is Feb. 2, 2010 by Lil' Chief Records and the CD's American release will most likely be handled by Sub Pop Records as their contract is still in effect.
At its best, "Paper Dolls" combines a clever call-and-response levity, an undercurrent of smoldering romance, and a penchant for idiosyncratic storytelling. Catchy pop hooks are bridled with entertaining and sharp lyrics while balanced with drum machines and a vast amount of synth. The quirky mood is kept upbeat throughout most of the album while a few slow songs including the title track, "Paper Dolls," eases the pace for a chance to catch up.
Fun is the driving force behind the album with Mansfield and Bree never losing sight of that. The twosome spends most of the CD storytelling with pop hooks to drum beats. The almost campy nature of some of the songs is offset by the compelling undertones of the title track and the album's closers, "If I" and "Thank you."
With this sense of fun firmly intact, The Brunettes have been able to build on their previous work while maintaining the aesthetic that helped them gain so much attention and success in the first place. At a brief 35 minutes, "Paper Dolls" reaffirms the brilliance of a simple melody. Hopefully American audiences will catch a clue and not look past The Brunettes quirky folk-ish tempo avoiding the terrible lip-synced crap we get stuck with here in the States.
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