★★★☆☆
With an aptly Wes Anderson-esque twee name and boasting a minimum of eight members, Canberra outfit Pocket Fox are more musical village than band.
In their multi-instrumentalist bag of tricks there are guitars, trumpets, flutes, drums, clarinets and ukuleles. Everything but the kitchen sink, apparently. Indeed, The Brightest Light is cacophony most triumphant; a debut album that bounces between indie-pop, nu-folk and jazz with ease. There is perhaps a superfluity of ideas swilling around in this musical consommé, but there is much to savour and enjoy.
Pulsating with the influence of Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes and Tune-Yards, the album abounds with intelligent lyrics, undulating harmonies and urbane polyrhythms. This unique range, as well as the talents of the band’s singer-songwriter, Luciana Harrison, is best showcased on the love song ‘Half Sand’. However, there is an undercurrent of imbalance throughout the album as songs often feel like they’re made up of contrasting and competing sub-songs, exemplified by opener ‘Heartsong’, which begins with a soaring, almost spiritual three-line euphony before bursting into a dissonant but exuberant rumpus.
The Brightest Light is the sound of an eclectic light orchestra performing indie folk-pop.
Pocket Fox’sThe Brightest Lightis out independently though Bandcamp.
