Skipping Girl Vinegar - Keep Calm Carry The Monkey (26/05/2011)
The sophomore release from local indie troupe Skipping Girl Vinegar (or SGV for short) has arrived in the form of Keep Calm Carry The Monkey. A darker album, almost like being in limbo, unraveling layers with each twist and turn.
A collective of musical textures, each of the tracks on the album are layered with the most acute attention to detail. Immediately with Chase The Sun, I’m drawn in to feel like I’m beginning a journey. And I am, as Keep Calm Carry The Monkey is an album of travels and life experiences, written across two continents and mixed along the Victorian coast.
From a beautifully haunting You Can one minute, to a toe tapping folk rock ballad Hand To Hold the next, SGV consistently display a side to their musical capabilities that only aims to further impress with each passing moment.
A true highlight of the album is Hell Out of Town, a grungy and raw expose similar to the vulturistic style of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Separating the two halves of the album with Moose Took Me Deep, I’m further reminded of Cave’s White Lunar work. Lead single One Long Week is very catchy and radio friendly, no doubt the perfect song to convert new listeners.
The latter part of the album continues to display a blend of sonic melodies, the highlight of which is Here She Comes. As the album draws to it’s close, Heart Does Ache does so in a somber yet reflective look back on the longing for connection and past times.
The albums packaging is a work of art in itself. Carefully layered, pieced together from textured paper, it’s full of surprises that fold out and give new meaning to the word ‘album artwork.’ Separate booklets document the albums creation through, lyrics, special thanks to the fans who donated and photo’s along the way during the recording process, a journey that they are inviting us to join them on, and one we’re more than willing to be a part of.
Keep Calm Carry The Monkey juggles itself back and forth between folk ballads and indie pop, but it does so with a style and grace that garners multiple listens.
Australian album of the year? Keep calm, it’s certainly a contender.
Read our interview with Skipping Girl Vinegar here!
Luke Sutton
A collective of musical textures, each of the tracks on the album are layered with the most acute attention to detail. Immediately with Chase The Sun, I’m drawn in to feel like I’m beginning a journey. And I am, as Keep Calm Carry The Monkey is an album of travels and life experiences, written across two continents and mixed along the Victorian coast.
From a beautifully haunting You Can one minute, to a toe tapping folk rock ballad Hand To Hold the next, SGV consistently display a side to their musical capabilities that only aims to further impress with each passing moment.
A true highlight of the album is Hell Out of Town, a grungy and raw expose similar to the vulturistic style of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Separating the two halves of the album with Moose Took Me Deep, I’m further reminded of Cave’s White Lunar work. Lead single One Long Week is very catchy and radio friendly, no doubt the perfect song to convert new listeners.
The latter part of the album continues to display a blend of sonic melodies, the highlight of which is Here She Comes. As the album draws to it’s close, Heart Does Ache does so in a somber yet reflective look back on the longing for connection and past times.
The albums packaging is a work of art in itself. Carefully layered, pieced together from textured paper, it’s full of surprises that fold out and give new meaning to the word ‘album artwork.’ Separate booklets document the albums creation through, lyrics, special thanks to the fans who donated and photo’s along the way during the recording process, a journey that they are inviting us to join them on, and one we’re more than willing to be a part of.
Keep Calm Carry The Monkey juggles itself back and forth between folk ballads and indie pop, but it does so with a style and grace that garners multiple listens.
Australian album of the year? Keep calm, it’s certainly a contender.
Read our interview with Skipping Girl Vinegar here!
Luke Sutton