The new one from Kamikaze Palm Tree is all over the place. I say that in a good way, of course. The duo of Cole Berliner and Dylan Hadley are resolutely intent on defying conventional forms here on Mint Chip, their latest record, and the Drag City release is one of this season's bravest sonic journeys.
Opener "Flamingo" and then "In the Sand" set a path where the time signatures and melodic lines vary and go up and down the scales, even as the vocals sort of anchor this all to a lovely style. At their best, like on the percolating "Y so K", the piano and simple instrumentation keep things just accessible enought for a casual listener to find something to hold onto. But, thankfully, maybe, lots of Mint Chip is more willfully obstinate in its rejection of the obvious. Nothing here progresses as you'd expect, though the scale of the pieces is fairly modest. It's the melodies and hooks that seem a bit schizophrenic and busy, with things reaching a kind of peak on "The Hit" near the end of the album. That said, I guarantee you that you've heard nothing else like this lately.
Mint Chip by Kamikaze Palm Tree is out on Drag City on Friday.
[Photo by Mimi Pfahler]