American bands have a hard time raging. Just look at Tom Morello, on the one hand screaming into some loudspeaker at some Rights rally or other and on the other participating in some cleverly concocted corporate mission to bag the Number One and Number Two slot on behalf of Sony Epic. When people like Morello cut the words ‘4 Real’ into their arm they do it using sterilized surgical instruments and a local anaesthetic. And when US bands say ‘Kill Hannah’ their violent assault on our senses is likely to be no more brutal than a pillow fight – which is no bad thing as when girly voiced mascara-man Matt Devine accepts his limitations as a truly anarchic rock n roll force, he can rattle out some pleasing and curiously eccentric pop tunes like ‘Why I Have My Grandma’s Sad Eyes’ and ‘Promise Me’ – songs that somehow combine the nervous sugar-suicide of Billy Corgan and the Pumpkins, the surreal 80s synth-pop revivalism of Empire of the Sun and the observation skills of Jason Lytle.
Six albums into their career and a move from Atlantic to Universal Motown sees little in the way of risks but plenty in the way of energy.