The Brunettes - Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks (2002)

The first time I heard The Brunettes was in Takaka, where my now-husband (then boyfriend) and I were staying at a local inn-come-pub. The first night we were treated to the retro-vibes of this vocal duo and their backing band, as it came up through the floorboards and soaked through the walls. The next evening we had to endure the rather less charming sounds of Salmonella Dub, as their bass pounded through the floorboards, but from that moment on, I was intrigued by this Indie-pop band that sounded as though they had stepped from a time machine.

If you have read my earlier two entries in this journal, the inclusion of this rather sweet-sounding, bubblegum blowing band may surprise you. I do have a few more... eclectic tastes. And I do so hope there shall be some other unexpected surprises in store for you.

As you may also have guessed, to choose the CDs to listen to, I am working through the alphabet. For each letter, I shall play one CD until I reach the end of the alphabet, then I shall begin again. I do not have multiple CDs for every letter - I may not even have one for each letter, but we shall see - and it will save you from having the entire backlist of Helloween thrust upon you in one swell foop.

If you wish to hear the Brunettes for yourself, hop along to their MySpace page.

The CD packaging is designed to look rather retro - the two vocalists are pictured on the front, looking very clean and like they've stepped from the 70s (and yes, they are both brunettes), complete with circles (which make it look a little like a record) and a san serif font, the whole image is of clean and wholesome-ness. Almost an innocent vibe.

The interior contains a rather whimsical story about how the band formed -

"It all began on 90 mile beach where the two first crossed paths. Jonathan, a frisbee hurlin' widewalk surfin' highschool dropout and Heather, an innocent girl desperately running from her small-town ghosts...."

The songs are similar in tone, polished and sweet. We begin with "The Moon in June" - a quirky little short piece that merges into the longer duet of "Cupid".

"Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks" begins with ducks quacking. I love the playful-ness of this song, and Heather's voice is pure sweetness. It makes me think of summer days and long afternoons chillaxing in the park.

"Talk to Jesus" is a more mellow tune, and followed up by the boucier "Dancefloor" - a song which kind of wants to make you take to the dancefloor.

"Summer Love" is charming, especially since Heather is the one singing "... I could do with summer love with a girl named Sandy, I'm sure it's good..." It sounds like an innocent love song, but you cannot help but feel that there is a tongue-in-cheek cheekiness.

Take, for example, the lyrics to "Super Eight":

I don't like the hours
And the big blinding lights
I don't like the make-up
I just want the money"

This is followed up by the rather bouncier "Jukebox" in which Jonathan gets more vocal time. Once again, the lyrics are innocent and sweet.

"Mafioso" is fun - mostly mellow with a few uptempo moments as the two vocalists plan a afternon - a date, together that involves sarsapiralla and ice cream. Oddly enough, I cannot find the lyrics to this song online, getting something from some rap artist.

"End of the Runway" is very cruisy, complete with "sha-la-la-las".

We pick up the pace on "Cotton Candy", which comes across as a bit flirty and cheeky - "... at the rollercoaster I had tucked in my teddy... he told me I was just like Cotton Candy." Just brings mental images of a young lady, blowing bubblegum and holding an enormous teddy bear (such as one would win as a carnival price).

"Tell Her" is a rather melancholic break-up song, still in the sweet, innocent manner of the earlier pieces. A ratherlovely conclusion to the album.

All up, this is a fun album, with a playful innocence that is rarely seen nowadays. Very clean, very sweet, very much what I would refer to as "bubblegum pop" but yet there is a slightly cynical edge, where you get the feeling that the vocalists are teasing you - and having a damned fine time of it all.

Overall score = 7/10.