Kuromarama

Albumbeschreibung

Though he committed a lot of energy to working as an auxiliary member of the higher-profile psych pop act MGMT, Athens, Georgia-based musician Hank Sullivant found time to craft an album's worth of his own sharply constructed, hook-heavy psychedelic pop with his long-running project Kuroma. The album Kuromarama came about from extensive recording work in New York City, with production help from both MGMT's Ben Goldwasser and Harvey Milk member Kyle Spence. The collection of colorful, often bounding tunes wanders between '80s-styled synth pop on tunes like "Running People," stony classic rock-modeled groovers like "Love Is on the Way," and Bowie-infused funk numbers like "Passionate People." These myriad influences sometimes come together at once, as with the kaleidoscopic sunshine pop of "Simon's in the Jungle," which recasts simplistic Kinks-styled songwriting in the homespun Elephant 6 indie pop templates of Sullivant's home town. Likewise, similarities between contemporaries like Of Montreal and Tame Impala come through, but Sullivant's pop songwriting is at the heart of every moment on this incredibly well-made album.

© Fred Thomas /TiVo