by Conor Lochrie (@conornoconnor)
Sydney’s Shrapnel has come a long way since its simple origins as the solo endeavor of Sam Wilkinson back in 2013. In the intervening eight years, he’s consistently nourished the project with an expanded lineup and on Alasitas, their latest album, there’s now six members throwing everything at it, including a flute, a synth, and clarinet to embellish the trusty guitars, and it gives the record a renewed lush feel.
There’s certainly a lot going on here. Alasitas is not noticeable for its subtleties but it wouldn’t be as infectious a listen if it played things dully safe. From the off, “Orpheum Protocol” assures us that things will be frenetic. The loose energy never really relents throughout the record, especially on zany tracks like “Alasitas” and “Uncovered Load”.
Much of your enjoyment of the album will depend on your predilection for whimsy. Songs like “Comprehension,” with its strange oozing noises, and “Raised Eyelids” are excitable and mischievous. “Son of Choice,” with its chanting vocals, is overwhelmingly theatrical and dramatic. Other songs include titles like “Flatter Than Your Earth” and “Aldi Lot Showdown”.
Its interpretation of 60’s psychedelia locates them beside Australian contemporaries like Babe Rainbow and Bananagun, both who released excellent and sunny records of their own recently, although Shrapnel are far more influenced also by 90’s indie rock than those two. Wilkinson’s vocals and the percussive touches in “The Raid” and “Corporate Clamp” echo bands from that era like Built To Spill and Guided By Voices.
The psych-pop tracks are the strongest efforts though. “Aldi Lot Showdown” is the group at their most refreshingly poppy, the guitars jangling along at an unhurried pace. The aforementioned flute and clarinet add color and vibrancy to the soft instrumental piece “POG Theme” and the expressive “Concrete Man”.
Such is the speed of Shrapnel’s expression that these thirteen songs actually feel more like eight or nine. The lightning pace ensures that there really are no weak links in the record; when it’s this relentless, it wouldn’t matter if there was anyway. Alasitas is a strange concoction but commendable for its unconventionality and enthusiasm.