The Brunettes

Structure and Cosmetics
(Sub Pop)

First, I’ll tell you what this band sounds like: Belle and Sebastian, The Cardigans. Rilo Kiley, Stars.
Do you like those? Will you buy this because of that? Then buy this, and move along.
Are you intrigued but need more insight into this New Zealand cute overload misfire? Here’s some:
Throw in a thick load of Beach Boys, a smattering of J-Pop and ABBA and a little Go! Team; I’ll go on to tell you more about a band who would've been trendy in 1995.

Do individual songs even matter? Yes, as always.
OK: The opener, “B-A-B-Y,” aka “Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth,” is the worst.
In “If You Were Alien,” a women who sounds like Kim Gordon asks, “But what if the world went pop?” as if she were serious. In 1990, Kim Gordon and Chuck D traded lines on a Sonic Youth record about race and gender. The Brunettes declare, “Sha-la-la-la-la.”
This is the kind of record that Laura Bush would like.

c. 2007 LEO Weekly