Hailing from the leafy environs of Lincoln with its magnificent cathedral, castle remains, ancient walls and medieval architecture, power pop quartet It`s Karma It`s Kool release their second album `Homesick For Our Future Destinations` this month which is the follow up to last year`s `Woke Up In Hollywood`.
The album opens with `Homesick` a kind of dreamy short instrumental introduction. A tapped cymbal and gentle guitar chords lead us into `All Branches Break In Time` a number that builds with a constant drum heartbeat from Danny Krash and chugging guitar riffs allowing singer James Styring`s tender vocals a platform to share the lyrics of this slightly Byrds like offering. A song that seems to convey a reflective sentiment of a time in life when your children have left and you have the rest of your life ahead. The tree being almost a metaphor of a family structure.
`Wild Fire Flames` has some intricate jangly guitar riffs and blossoms into a much more of a power pop piece with vocals and guitar trading off each other in the latter part. There`s a more rockier texture to `Absent Transient` with vocals that seem quite remote, nearly distant, and quietly shared which allows it to become deliciously mesmerising.
`Playing Brave` is a track that again has a dreamier touch with some delightful guitar chords from Martyn Bewick. A Mid paced and pretty captivating slice of dream pop.
We have an encouraging positive missive relayed through the entrancing faster paced `Dream Big, Little Giant` which once more has some entrancing guitar chords.
`She Slept With The Radio On` has an anchoring bass line from Mikey Barraclough throughout this enthralling number that paints a vivid picture of a woman as she daydreams that she was the wife of Elvis in another life. Singer James has shared that `Coffee Cup Circles` is a sonic rumination about past lives and the physical echoes that remain. It`s a fast paced no nonsense sort of rock out.
`Holy Toledo!` has a laid back quite mature vibe about it, another quite mesmerising number. The phrase or exclamation `Holy Toledo!` comes from the city Toledo in Ohio which was a sanctuary for gangsters in the twenties and Thirties. We have a sort of side swipe or critique of bland television chat shows with `Guests On A TV Talk Show` which has some enjoyable vocal harmonies and has snippets of what sounds like a dated American show blended in.
`Universe And Us` is a quite easy going irresistible slice of pop / rock which allowed me to sort of drift along leaving my day to day issues behind. It gathers a more biting edge as it evolves but still has that sort of charming harmonic quality. The album closes out with `Future Destinations` an instrumental number which is a mediative quite reflective musing for the first two thirds before bursting to life during the latter third with harmonic vocals accompanying a delightful guitar solo.
`Homesick For Our Future Destinations` is an album that you can put on, tune in, chill out and leave all your worldly troubles behind for a while. It`s a wonderful feel good harmonic offering from a group of seasoned musicians who have a vocalist with an enticing vocal range.
If you like your indie power pop with a harmonic edge this release will bewitch you.
Rating 9 /10