Psycho Tropical Ballet Pink
Album | Swahili Blonde
Joyous polyrhythms supporting a newfound pop sensibility.
Swahili Blonde's debut album, 2010's Man Meat, attracted as much attention for singer-songwriter Nicole Turley's collaborators -- including Duran Duran's John Taylor, Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante and Devo's Alan Myers -- as for its smart if a bit formless updating of A Certain Ratio-style post-punk dance grooves. Only Frusciante remains among those sideman (alongside The Like's Laena Geronimo on violin and saxophonist Brad Caulkins) on this much more appealing follow-up, though Turley's clear fondness for '80s pop remains: one of the EP's best songs is a recasting of "Scoundrel Days," the title track from A-Ha's second album (aka "the one that doesn't have 'Take On Me' on it"). Indeed, all of Psycho Tropical Ballet Pink has an unexpected sense of fun and pop-song catchiness to it. The tricky polyrhythms are still there, but now they're supporting more memorable tunes: the "beat the drum/shake that tambourine" refrain at the climax of the closing high point "The Golden Chorale" is guaranteed to get stuck in your head for the rest of the week.
| Purple Ink | |
|---|---|
