Gumshoes
Cacophony


4.0
excellent

Review

by anat CONTRIBUTOR (31 Reviews)
January 11th, 2024 | 19 replies


Release Date: 01/02/2024 | Tracklist

Review Summary: The energy is delivered in spades, and I’m whistling a merry tune as I dig a pit to pratfall into.

Cacophony is playfully belied by its title and opening effort. What starts off as a thought exercise on how Flotation Toy Warning might sound if they were fronted by Paul Banks quickly ascends into a higher, more fun, plane. The only discordance here is of charming ditties shrugging off existential woes and letting them wriggle off your sleeve. The energy is delivered in spades, and I’m whistling a merry tune as I dig a pit to pratfall into. These are the sort of cheery jaunts that you might expect Steamboat Willie to throw on the gramophone as he careens toward the waterfall that plummets into Lake Public Domain.

Beyond the irresistible ivory tinkles are several comforting discomforts. On ‘The Real Thing’, our anaesthetised storyteller commits himself to the carpet, staring ceiling-wards, wrestling with unhaltable time. “Disco died, and I was never on its side. But this awful song, now I love it so much I could cry”. ‘Nobodies’ swats futility as a picnicker would a wasp: “You’ll be fruitful in your failure, and buddy, your day will never come.” The spotlight throughout is fixed firmly on the languishing creator. Fitting then, that when giving up starts to materialise as a likely outcome to it all, the closing track ‘Last Living Kennedy’ doesn’t quite know how or when to finish.



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user ratings (11)
3
good


Comments:Add a Comment 
anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 11th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

wow, it's been a while

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
January 11th 2024


32020 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

whoa I was gonna pass on this but now Anat reviewed it and I just can't.

anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 11th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

this really won’t be for everyone I fear, but it’s really refreshing for me, and doesn’t take itself seriously at all so if anything a divided crowd is really quite appropriate

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
January 11th 2024


32020 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I heard the first three tracks a couple of days ago, there was definitely smth interesting about it. Will check in full and report back!

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
January 11th 2024


32020 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

this is actually pretty fun

anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 11th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

hell yeah dewi

anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 11th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

the real thing and last living kennedy are really in a moustachioed put em up fisticuffs for SOTY thus far (height of bar notwithstanding)

DoofDoof
January 12th 2024


15012 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

ooh going to check this, has a chamber pop tag on RYM no less



now you namecheck Flotation Toy Warning, sold

DoofDoof
January 12th 2024


15012 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

hmmmm, I'm hoping there isn't a 3.0 ceiling on this for me....this is as supremely gay sounding as the Aluminum Group (those prominent male backing vox and plinky plonk piano/keyboards), has a bit of that Matt Maltese smooth singer/songwriter feel.



I keep imagining the lead singer of this band is the lead actor from Sex Education (swear he sings at times in the show? did I imagine that?) - accent and inflection is really similar (this is quite close to speak singing anyway)



Yeah I don't know, maybe too chipper for me in general, not quite Wombats level but not a million miles away...the fact I don't hate this does say I've changed an awful lot since joining the site though

anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 12th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

stay with it doof, I was worried initially that this would fall on the sword of its gimmick, but the lyric and earworm combo is undeniable

DoofDoof
January 12th 2024


15012 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

It earned a repeat play for sure - but I think that’s the deal more than ever here, it’ll need to keep earning those repeats



Definitely something good here though

anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 12th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

that’s fair enough - I thought you may be all over this though

DoofDoof
January 12th 2024


15012 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

It might happen, it’s more important I’m intrigued on a first listen than think it’s perfectly my thing

Colton
January 14th 2024


15224 Comments


album art looks quite a bit like the first black midi album eh

anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 14th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

bc it’s green and white?

Colton
January 14th 2024


15224 Comments


not really

anat
Contributing Reviewer
January 14th 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

okay

brainmelter
Contributing Reviewer
February 2nd 2024


8320 Comments


I kind of wrote this off at first, but I like how twee it is (in a good way)

anat
Contributing Reviewer
February 2nd 2024


5748 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I was also unsure of it initially but it’s very endearing ain’t it



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