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GoodshirtFiji Baby Cement/Virgin/EMI Goodshirt's 2001 debut 'Good' set the tone for an interesting pop band with a good working knowledge of synthesisers and an unhidden love for fellow New Zealanders Split Enz. And while the kooky strangeness of the 'Enz still shines through Goodshirt's pop sensibilities, there is still something lacking on the four-piece's second album, 'Fiji Baby'. Lead track Not That Far shows us exactly where they're at - it's more polished, it's still got those synth sounds in the background, and it's still situated somewhere between rock central and pop city with an odd twist of backwards vocals. Sand is a corker of a pop song with a great guitar melody, Buck It Up is somewhat disappointing as a first single, but it goes into Dumb Day, which rocks up those synthesisers for a bit more action. Cement gives those distortion pedals a bit of a working, and features a great harmony between guitar and bass. My Racing Head is a fine acoustic singalong, sounding strangely quite a lot like Perth band The Panics, especially with the double-tracked vocals. How Will I See You freaks me out a little, and Cold Body Blues is quite unemotional (but makes great use of a synth organ). Lucy doesn't compare to last album single Sophie - it's a little too pop for me. Fall tries at sincerity, but is a little too eccentric to reach it, and Fiji Baby ends with a bit of personality. What made Split Enz a superstar band was that while they could make very freaky pop - say, Dirty Creature - they could also be sincere and intimate, like say Stuff And Nonsense. Goodshirt use technology to alienate themselves, so there can't be any personal connection to their music. That's what I crave, and at the end of this album, I just feel lonely.  |
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