Review Summary: They have taken a sound that was present in their debut, built and expanded on it with otherworldly melodies, broader song ideas and gracious textures and presented it in a fully-realised creation that nobody could have expected.
Every now and then, a band can come along to a frustrated listener that is perhaps satisfying, unique and uplifting enough to truly excite and renew interest in the simple act of hearing sounds. Then again, such bands are hard to come by. The majority of artists today, however great or small, do and always have taken the easy road to success or self-fulfillment by simply copying or imitating style and execution of those they have subjected themselves to. It is not opinion, it is simply fact: it is one in a thousand artists that can be found with a true desire or passion to create something that could not be picked in a draw from the hat. Something that stands apart from the crowd; something that has not been done before; something that sets a new standard, or raises the bar for others in the future.
When we look for artists that can offer the "something" aforementioned, we would be foolish to go looking for a side project. However, with their second full-length record, Ian Kenny side-project Birds of Tokyo have gone and done the deed. The band have come out with a fully developed, intricate and brilliant sound that completely raises the bar for their alternative rock contemporaries. They have taken a sound that was present in their already adequate debut (aptly titled "Day One"), built and expanded on it through otherworldly melodies, broader song ideas and gracious textures and presented it in a fully-realised surprise that nobody could have expected. Especially not in a "side-project."
As some readers may already know, Birds of Tokyo formed in 2005 as an outlet for Karnivool vocalist Ian Kenny's softer and more melodic side, and have since gone on to match Karnivool's success in live perfomance, ambition and record sales. They remain one of the best bands of the Australian scene and are an intrinsic part of its image as a source for passion and musical innovation, and it is likely that they may even overtake their contemporaries as such.
The record opens with a minute long instrumental, "Uno", but quickly fades into breathtaking first single, "Broken Bones", which is regarded by many a fan as a favourite. The power of the opening riff is unmatched in forcefulness. However, many of the melodies and sections of the rest of the record overpowers the song not in volume, but in the strength and delivery of the idea. "Head in my Hands" is perhaps one of the most ironic songs in recent memory, with the lyric "I hate my melodies, they're all the same,". And while Kenny certainly has a point, he has the listener in utter agreeance during the chorus as he sings, "I can't get 'em out of my head,".
Despite the strength of the first half of the record, it is the second half of the record that truly comes into its own. "White Witch", the rockiest song of the record, stuns the listener on first listen. Its accessibility does not sacrifice the strength of the songwriting, which is strikingly original for the idea itself. "An Ode To Death" is similarly brilliant, but is overshadowed by the next two tracks, which are divinity in its finest form.
"Armour For Liars" and "Baker's Son" are arguably the best tracks of the record and undeniable classics. These are the songs that will be looked back on as such for years to come. They are majestic, intricate, dynamic and ultimately brilliant - alternative rock songwriting at its finest, taking the simplest of ideas and executing them with charisma and unmatched expansiveness to create a transcendant landscape of sound that stuns the listener upon each and every play. "Armour For Liars", if executed by any other band, could have been much less than what is has become. However, the expansion and variation of the ideas and dynamics makes for an exciting, unskippable track that clearly demonstrates the talent of Spark, Jackson and Weston as an intrumental section, while Kenny presents what is arguably his finest vocal performance of his career thus far. The final verse after the solo will stun the listener for play upon play, as Kenny achieves vocal perfection that could not have been any better in and of itself. "Baker's Son" opens with chordal harmonics delicately strummed with a backdrop of elegant atmospherics, and drops into a skin-crawling mirage of graceful drums and smooth basslines. When Ian Kenny's voice comes in, it is utter perfection in aural form. Throughout the song's duration, the listener is taken for a ride through melody and grace that ascends as far as the heavens themselves. It is epic, for lack of a better word, and represents everything that Birds of Tokyo stand for at the very point in time at which it was recorded.
What more is to be said about Birds of Tokyo as a band? All that is left to give is gratefulness for their arrival amongst an already stunning lineup of Australian acts that promise to figurehead the innovation of this generation of music. They are stunning, brilliant and utterly integral to the scene from which they hail, and "Universes" is a musical outing not to, under any circumstances, pass up.
