Our Land Brains
Nine Mile, 2020
8/10
Originally released in 2002 and highly praised for its atypical version of pop, Snowglobe’s Our Land Brains sees the reissue treatment here on double LP and with new artwork to accompany its remastered sound.
“Waves Rolling” gets the album off to an atmospheric start as an ominous beginning leads into acoustic guitar alongside hazy vocals, and “Beautiful” follows with jumpy keys in an almost show tune like display that embraces tambourine and xylophone.
Elsewhere, “Big City Lights” is a folksy strummer that hosts brass and melodic singing before heading into psychedelic influences, while “Adrenaline Mother” is a quirky mix of indie-pop and off kilter classic-rock that seems indebted to the ‘60s. “Experiments”, one of the best selections, then benefits from warm guitar lines, multiple vocals in the chorus and ambient keys in its textured delivery.
Further down the line, “The Song That Frustrates Us” offers a retro-inspired version of rock where organs and horns dance around plenty of harmonies, and “Goodbye Dream”, the last formal song, is a quick display of subdued piano and Tim Regan’s gentle vocals as soulful horns complement the dreamy exit.
Snowglobe rarely stay in one place very long, which is very much part of their charm, and when the relatively unknown band released this 18 years ago, it didn’t take long for people to notice. If The Beach Boys and Neutral Milk Hotel had a baby, it might sound like this, and it’s comforting to know that nearly two decades later, people are still admiring Our Land Brains.
Travels well with: They Might Be Giants- My Murdered Remains; The Flaming Lips- King’s Mouth Music And Songs