Me – Naked debut EP review
This EP certainly harks back to the psychedelic ear of the sixties
Here we are again, and I’m tackling an Australian band from Melbourne. I’m not going to lie, the only thing I know musically from Australia is Nick Cave related. For this, I apologize to all Australians. In any case, NME seem to be rather interested in them, and they’re damn hard to Google, which they say is the point. They’re called Me, and their debut EP, to be released soon, is called Naked. I reviewed an EP of theirs, Another Story High.
This EP certainly harks back to the psychedelic ear of the sixties, especially the Beatles post and during Sergeant Peppers, and it also dips in to it’s rich, baroque, Queen-esque sensibilities, and this mixes well with the heavy power-rock feel in the opening track, Naked. The band is tight and driving, and the riffs are catchy and enjoyable, and the opening number certainly catches the attention. The singer gets to show off his voice pretty early on, and the guitarist pulls his best Brian May impression out of the bag near the end of the track. They really do have the over-the-top orchestration and harmonies of the music-hall and baroque, but I salute that. At least it’s fun and enjoyable to listen to. Insert Voice Here is a quieter, but still a very much ‘for the benefit of Mister Kite’ feel. The vocal melodies are interesting and the harmonies on the voice are, again, baroque. But it’s good, and it has an almost orchestral feel that runs throughout the whole EP. Dutch Medicine slows the pace of the EP down, and the band turn towards a much more laid-back, psychedelic affair. It’s perhaps the most enjoyable tune on the whole of the EP, and it’s occasional space-age beeps and swirls create a thick and heady atmosphere in the track, which builds as the track progresses. It’s certainly the prettiest track to listen to, and it’s a welcome break from the heavy baroque, enjoyable as that is. We’re straight back in on the next track in the EP, Slow Children Run. Interestingly, the track actually, apart from the strong Queen feeling, also has a slightly Danny Elfman taste. It’s got a seaside feel, which is an enjoyable juxtaposition from the sinister lyrics. It’s very childish in that respect, and that works well with the lyrics of burying reality and truth ‘Take these pills/We’ll fly away’. On a vocal note, a very impressive show from the lead singer, reaching dizzying heights with his range. Like A Fox brings the whole ‘opera’ together. It fuses all the sounds present in the EP as a whole, and wraps it up nicely. The band drops in and out of rock and flowing spaces, and the harmonies flow very nicely. There’s even a cheeky guitar solo/break thrown in for good measure. On top of this, the chorus is damn catchy. In any case, it definitely leaves me satisfied. It was an enjoyable, if not mind bending, experience.
Me do manage to fuse the baroque Englishness of prog-rock and later similarly influenced bands such as Queen, with the psychedelic Englishness of late-era Beatles and acts such as Syd Barret-led Pink Floyd and Robyn Hitchcock, and manage to create a mini rock-opera as a result. However, this EP varies the conglomerate of sounds well enough to keep it interesting. The opener is a ear-catching rocker that draws interest, but the band allow themselves to flex their more trippy, softer muscles in Dutch Medicine, and the mix between the two styles is shown very well in Slow Children Run. This band are good at what they do, and they’re also enjoyable to listen to. I won’t heap lavish praise, as it doesn’t send shivers down my spine. But that isn’t the point, I feel like it’s a strong set of tracks, and definitely well made. Rock-opera’s, even mini ones, are rather hard to do. I view it as a successful and interesting Australian addition to a proud British tradition, and for that I give it respect.
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