Mad Planets
Music Makes Me Think of You
Papercut
Though I am not a dyed-in-the-wool indie-pop fan, Papercut has consistently released material that gives this label an identifiable sound. And in the age of label-hybridization and misdirection, this small Gainesville outfit can be counted on for great pop.
The Mad Planets are no different. Warm jangle-pop with some thickness to boot, male/female vocals that understand melody and how to harmonize with one another, this album compiles selections of the band’s work over the past six years. Of course, some of it is a little sappy, and the artwork is a little melodramatic, but doesn’t real emotion sometimes slip into this? Mad Planets remind me of early Heavenly, and has a creepy similarity to the latest My Favorite attempts at Smithsdom.
The drum sounds on this record, most notably the shakers and tambourines, mix so well with the breathy female and husky male vocals, you might mistake this for a Sarah Records or Parasol release. “Uninvited,” the midpoint of the collection, is a lovely minimalist ballad. The only aspects that would have made this a stronger band would have been more dynamic recordings.
I really wish I reviewed this earlier, but would have preferred to hear them before I was so jaded. This fits nicely onto that mix tape with Brittle Stars, the pre-über-gothic Cure (Head on the Door era), and all the other stuff that makes you feel happy and sad at the same time. A very solid B.
