I thought I’d break up the Liquor Giants quartet with this recent acquisition (via the very generous Andy).
Diving into this album was a surefire recipe for a delayed review.
This is not a cheap and dirty nine-track exercise pumped out one afternoon in the studio. Rather it is a finely structured 16-track artwork, exploring the nuances of suburban life in all its grandeur and minutiae.
Their ‘Funeral’ release impressed back on review #7, and this is a rosier, slightly less melodramatic counterpoint. It’s still as arty as hell, with a lusciousness and splendour that makes this feel like an event.
Concessions to popdom can be found however, such as on the title track (which sounds like a less angsty Ed Harcourt):
I keeping hearing wafts of Go Betweens on here amongst all the Bowie and Morrissey elements, and that’s a great achievement, immersed as the Queenslanders were in a similar homage to the beauty and heartache of the day-to-day.
It isn’t all fresh-cut lawn, sprinklers and Stepford Wives. The band also glam rock it better than most. Month of May had me picturing stacked platform boots and eye-makeup (sadly, that isn’t the look in this live version):
File under: (Art-) Rocking the suburbs
One Album a Day 
Nice timing, considering that _The Suburbs_ won Grammy album of the year last night!
Thanks for keeping this site up–it’s a daily ritual for me here in Canada and I know it must be hard to keep up that type of commitment.
Keep on rockin’…
An almost perfect and flawless album. Glad you like it as much.
Never a miss a chance to see this band live – phenomenal energy and musicianship.