The Thousands

It’s easy to get complacent with good Australian bands. Melbourne band Crayon Fields have, over the years, proved to be one of the most consistently awesome groups, and they’ve just created a dreamy pop album that hasn’t (on-repeated listens) presented me with one dud track. Not to be a bore about it – but imagine if Crayons were based in NYC? They’d have been on the cover of Nylon, Fader et al at least five or six times.**The album artwork for All the Pleasures of the World is beautiful and also slightly creepy, not unlike the music it encloses. The imagery is reminiscent of a greenhouse containing fragile ornaments and delicate plant life; kept protected (and shut up) for years past and years to come. This follows on to their music, which apes the delicious dichotomy of many indie pop artists who like to mix their happy/sad emotional material into tunes with even thwacks of both. Whether it’s a sombre subject matter mixed with a shiny-happy-woo-ahh tune or vice versa, it makes for an emotional road trip (if not rollercoaster).