Monday, 2 November 2009

Pascal Babare - Thunderclap Spring

Pascal Babare is an Australian solo artist who despite being only nineteen has somehow summoned enough time to learn his first instrument, the drums and then when bored with that, learnt more and then penned and self recorded a full length album, Thunderclap Spring that I am about to tell you about right now.

The fruits of Babare's labour is a lo-fi album that sits somewhere between pop, folk and shoe gaze music with no track venturing over the four minutes and the majority sitting in at the two minute mark. You won't find any singles here except perhaps "Ceremony", a beautifully understated Joy Division cover that sounds like it should be in a TV advert and could quite possibly be better than the original. You also won't find any pop song structures, Thunderclap Spring has its poppy moments but it is difficult to pick out obvious sing-along chorus' or a change of key for the bridge, Babare just doesn't work that way and it feels like it is all for the better. "Soft Focus" is one of Thunderclap Springs many standout tracks for me, a beautiful organ song, full with drum rolls and effect ridden vocals very much akin to the brilliant Hope Of The States. "Sweet Bee, Sweet Brother", one of a handful of vocal-less intermissions, slowly builds with distorted guitar and feedback, making you want the song to collapse in on itself until it fantastically draws itself back into what it beautifully started as, making the track a lesson to any post-rock band. "Lumberjacks Burn Green Wood" shows Babares versatility, built on a simple and dark guitar melody with Babares vocals sitting somewhere between Bright Eyes and Sparklehorse showcasing what can be done when things are simplified.

I really couldn't say enough great things about this record, its lo-fi recording makes it endearing, it may not have a distinct single but you will definitely fall in love with one track if not them all and in general Thunderclap Spring shows a great maturity that I haven't heard from a singer songwriter in a long time, if ever. If you do anything before 2009 is finished, it should be picking up this album, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

4 / 5

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