20. METHYL ETHEL – Everything Is Forgotten
First up this year is the second album from Australia’s
Methyl Ethel. This is thoughtful pop-rock with (light
touch) trippy/psychedelic elements. There’s no getting around the fact that Methyl Ethel remain something of a poor-man’s Tame Impala, another Aussie band that ploughs a pretty similar furrow. This second record is a definite step
forward, though, ditching some of the Tame
Impala style exploration in favour of a greater focus on catchiness and
simplicity. There still is enough
weirdness to make this stand out from the indie pack, but there’s now also a
core rhythmic drive that moves things closer to the sound of Django Django’s first album. Stand-out track ‘Ubu’ is an exemplar: a
fairly straightforward indie tune on its face, but with an unusual funk
underbelly and a strange bridge that feels like it’s been cleverly imported
from a different song. Persistent Tame Impala comparisons won’t be put to bed by this record, but it
makes strides towards something that is Methyl
Ethel’s own. A lot of fun in its own
right, but also suggestive of the potential for something truly great on album
three.
