Kleenex Girl Wonder
After Mathematics
March
At long last, another full-length album of lo-fi computer wizardry from prodigy Graham Smith’s Kleenex Girl Wonder, and hurrah, this is even more compelling and instantly endearing and exciting than the last time around. Some bedroom purists may frown at Smith’s all-embracing approach that sees him taking in everything from cheap pre-programmed synthesizer sounds to hyper-organic, warm, lightly breezy pop tunes, but there you go. You can’t please everyone and this meta-everything album is guaranteed to offend some, and thrill the rest of us. Worth a listen if only to discover what’s lurking beneath hilarious song titles like “Why I Write Such Good Songs,” and – my favorite – “I am a Serving Wench at a Themed Restaurant,” this is so much more than a shallow play with words and genres – although it’s that as well! One can try and describe what this sounds like, saying that part of it is reminiscent of the light, easy listening pop electronica of Her Space Holiday, while at other times it sounds like the self-made, quirky and unabashed, shameless pop of Mull Historical Society. Or that this is like Beck, and even more so on this album than ever before, where Smith revels in light-hearted rap “interludes.” But most of all, this is something quite unique, without its being “difficult” or unapproachable in any way. Lush and humorous, with a genuine sense of surprise and curiosity at the multitudes of possibilities that music offers, Kleenex Girl Wonder have made a brilliantly refreshing album, one to last you through summer and beyond.
March Records: http://www.marchrecords.com
