Review Summary: Nothing sounds as sweet
Sugar Army is:
Patrick
Jamie
Todd
Ian
Nothing sounds as sweet as Sugar Army's debut album The Parallels Amongst Ourselves. Releasing their debut album after four and a half years as a band it is one that does not disappoint. Letting loose on the world in early 2008 with their EP 'Where Do You Hide Your Toys' the four piece indy-rock outfit started a national tour with fellow Perth boys Gyroscope and Kiwi's 'Shihad'. With an impressive live show to boot a very solid EP release Sugar Army's fan base has gradually been rising ever since. Some of the bands influences include the like of QOTSA, Pink Floyd, The Clash, My Bloody Valentine, The Beatles, Radiohead and Miles Davis to name a few. If this album is anything to go by they could very well be up there with some of their fellow musicians.
The opening track Parallels starts off with some eerie guitar work and moves into a somewhat lord of the flies like drumming. Gradually the song builds along with tension and then brings all the elements back and go bang! with the chorus. Parallels does a good job of setting the tone for the album which seems to somehow have a evil, somewhat sadistic sound, but at the same time carries out a cool almost laid back feel. Track two Tongues in Cheeks is a lot more upbeat and starts off with children chanting 'he knows, he knows, he knows...', which then moves into a slow drum beat that picks up pace to move into the verse. Tongues in Cheeks, is defiantly one of the catchiest tracks on the album complements of a great guitar and bass line to accompany the chorus chants of 'she knows, she knows'. Acute, the first single from the album (like Tongues in Cheeks) also shows their capability to combine a balance of light and dark. As with all their songs the drumming is just as catchy as the melody and accompanies it very well.
The Parallels Amongst Ourselves captures their live sound perfectly, not under done, not over done (just right). It's a great album to have a sing or dance to, and perhaps the best way to describe the overall feeling of this awesome album is multi-dimensional darkness. This album is not for those who like all things lovey dovey, rainbows and butterflies because the fact is at times it can be nauseatingly haunting. Sugar Army might be the perfect way to characterize the debut effort. While some points of the album are quite innocent and sweet there is always an underlying darkness in their songs. Soak up the eeriness and enjoy Sugar Army's debut album The Parallels Amongst Ourselves.
Pros:
Excellent musicianship
Memorable melodies
Timeless
Cons:
Maybe too sinister for some
Recs:
Parallels
Tongues In Cheeks
Acute
Many a Mask
Building Castles
