This is an album I like, I really do. But as I'm listening, I can't help thinking ; Finn Brothers. After the opener "Little Monkey Friend", a straight-ahead power pop track, punchy, melodic, harmonies, the lot, the Canadian 4-piece takes a decidedly Crowded House/Split Enz direction. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but on the evidence presented on AFRAID OF HEIGHTS, there's a very good band waiting to shake free from the shackles of their influences. This reaches it's height on "Maybe" where the urge to sing the lyrics to Supergrass'  "Alright", another mob of Split Enz disciples, is almost overwhelming. All this being said, "Lets Get Out Of L.A." is a jewel. Lines like "The sky is grey with the skeleton bones you left me", and "Life is like a movie/'cos we're  the only ones in focus", infuse the song with a certain sadness. And the low-in-the-mix harmony on the "I've been running around" hook almost subliminally invites you to fill it in. Very clever. There are some nice lyrical touches throughout ; The organic girl who "needs to be watered twice a week" (making me wonder with what) ; the suitcase whore "found in the loneliness of a night gone wrong", are just two examples of some of the real thought that has gone into the writing of these songs. Elsewhere, the Beach Boy vocal stylings of "Window Seat" stand out : in fact the harmonies and musicianship (including contributions from one Jason Falkner) is excellent throughout. Despite the House/Enz familiarity of the sound, AFRAID OF HEIGHTS is a fine pop album that won't disappoint.
JOHN BARTLETT (6.5)
 

Starting sudden and energetically, 'Little Monkey Friend' kicks off BES's latest album AFRAID OF HEIGHTS and you find yourself wondering how the pace can go up from there.  Well, it doesn't.  "Sundae School" changes to a bouncy beat complete with authentic Supertramp Wurlitzer (courtesy Jason Falkner) and enough 'oohs and ahhs' to make a Jellyfish fan grin coyly with recognition.  Instead of a powerpop speed-fest, Brown Eyed Susans go on scattering pop hooks and nods alike before easing rather surprisingly into something that sounds remarkably acoustic, even country-ish.  Wait!  Is that slide guitar?  Isn't this a pop band?  Well yeah, but no one told these guys they couldn't put a range of sounds and instrumental diversity on their
album.  Thank goodness, for a while I thought it might be another one of  those parades of recycled pop licks arranged into an album, when instead it turns out to skip happily through some real style changes.Almost, in fact like a Falkner album.  Hmm, funny, that.  Then again, not strange when you know that Jason Falkner is heavily featured on this album playing Wurlitzer, guitars, backing vocals, keys and much more, including fingers in the production.  Oh, make no mistake, it's a BES album all right but Falkner has left his mark and I believe that he collaborates so very well.
Minus - I find the lead vocal a little shaky at times for what it's attempting.  A good modern powerpop album nevertheless, one which will surely please the nostalgic particularly.
NICK TAYLOR (6.5)
 
 
 

Brown Eyed Susans website www.browneyedsusans.net
 
 

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