New Zealand shares yet another refreshing sound with Ha the Unclear’s newest album Bacterium, Look At Your Motor Go, which was released in the U.S. September 30th (yes, we are a little late to the game, but this was too good to pass up talking about). Michael Cathro leads the four-piece band in this vibrant and cool album. It takes me back to the melodies of The Shins and the vocals of The Wombats.
The album opens with “Corstorphine.” The track opens the album with a soft rock sound and a subtle background choir. We get our first listen to Cathro’s lively accent and upbeat lyrics. The songs range from strange accounts of inanimate objects (i.e. mannequins and furniture) to touching scenes of nostalgia.
“Once We Were Schoolkids (Drunk on Youth and Friendship)” exudes a fun and youthful beat that embodies being young and reckless. This mood defines the entire album in general. Cathro’s lyrics and vocals are exuberant and can make any listener want to dance, as is the case with “Mannequins.”
However, the album does have it’s slow and sensitive side. In contrast to the craziness that comes with remembering childhood adventures, “85” shows a different side of reminiscing. With a slow combination of folk and 50’s doo-wop, Cathro relays the story of a spouse looking back on a failed marriage. Expectations of an ideal future “with trinkets on the mantle” are replaced with disappointment. Cathro describes a relationship grown old and doomed from the start, “I was having sickening thoughts back then…But we stuck it out because the church told us to.” The track is heart wrenching and beautiful wrapped into a story of a generation much different from our own, and Cathro gives it the passion and emotion it requires.
The fluid melodies continue with “Mortality (A Million Years Ago)” and “Apostate” (another quick definition – Apostate: “A person who renounces a religious or political belief”). “Apostate” echoes aspects of “85” but with dreamy chants, “We all run around with ash on our heels.”
“Infatuated” follows and picks up the pace a little bit with light guitar picking, which continues throughout the track with more speed and creates a starry sound that reminds me a little bit of Devotchka. Ha the Unclear has created an album that has set a high standard for many records to come. The group combines layers and various styles to create something not quite rock, but not quite folk. Either way it is new, refreshing, and genuinely beautiful. We’re ready for your next album already.
4/5
Nikki grew up in an imitation German town in Georgia by the name of Helen. It wasn’t until middle school that she started to get interested in the arts: painting, music, and writing. She wrote in her diary, sketched in art class and listened to regretful music. By high school, her tastes became a little more refined. She found Fiona Apple, Lou Reed and Giant Drag, and they remain her favorites in college. She was accepted to the University of Georgia in 2012 and is currently majoring in English. Upon moving to Athens from a town with more trees than people, Nikki was a bit overwhelmed. However, there is certainly no lack of inspiration in Athens, and she appreciates its love for the arts and its service as a platform.