Lali Puna - Our Inventions

Lali Puna, a band formed in 1998 have, despite me never even hearing of them, helped map out the musical landscape for experimentally minded pop music, or that is what the press release will happily have you believe. Our Inventions is their fourth long player release, a long time in coming, like most bands these days, a massive six years after their third album, Faking The Books.

Our Inventions starts off with ‘Rest Your Head’, a soothing synth lullaby that dwindles along at a slower pace than the rest of the album, luring you into a false sense of security with the slumbering and beautiful vocals of Valerie Trebeljahr forcing you into a deep sleep, not in a bored way but in a contented way. It isn’t the most amazing song that you will hear but it is perhaps the best on this record, although a strange choice for an album starter in regards the pacing. ‘Remember’ is perhaps what I would deem to be a mainstream single, interesting sample work and computerized drumming, pinned together by a tight and driving bassline and finished off with a sing-a-long chorus that every pop band would be proud to have penned. ‘Everything Is Always’ is also a bit of a pop monster, touching upon the sound that make groups like Goldfrapp so listenable and successful when they broke into the mainstream.

My problem with Lali Puna isn’t that they are a terrible band or that Our Inventions is a terrible album because it isn’t, it is neither great, nor is it terrible, it affects me in literally no way at all and that is its biggest downfall in the end, it just doesn’t make an impression as you are listening to it, never mind a lasting one.

Lali Puna Myspace Page

2.5 / 5