The Thousands

In terms of international travel, it doesn’t get much cheaper than a trip to India. But if you can’t afford that airfare, might I suggest you trip out on the new album from Sydney mystics Richard In Your Mind?

My Volcano bounces in and out of your speakers like a hyperactive egghead hipster on acid. It weaves tropicalia, Bollywood, hip-hop, trip-hop, soundtrack music, ’60s pop, space rock and twee, into a psychedelic quilt of lo-fi goodness. My favorite, ‘I Will’, sounds like The Beatles playing a waltz in a scene from a James Bond movie. Seriously, WTF?

Produced by SPOD, the most prevalent voice I’m hearing emerge from the mix is the whiteboy hip-hop of the ’90s; this isn’t surprising, as artistes like (early) Beck and Bran Van 3000 drew on similar source material to create post-modern pop pastiche.

Ambitious and lighthearted, My Volcano can be a bit too breezy, but it would be a shame to let it pass by unnoticed. Buy the ticket for an eclectic carpet ride through the far reaches of your cerebral cortex.