This, the second long player by Major, is an exquisitely recorded masterpiece of elaborate harmony driven guitar pop, with bells and whistles and layer upon layer of orchestration. Fans of XTC-esque song writing are going to definitely love this album.
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Album Information
Track Listing
1. I Know A Place
2. Revelation
3. D*O*O*K
4. Sunburn
5. What's the Attraction?
6. Alibi
7. Making Tracks to the Fete
8. Better Days
9. She's Not the One
10. So Ordinary
11. F***in' Up
12. Moving On
Click on above buttons to hear samples of select tracks
More info
This, the second long player by Major, is an exquisitely recorded masterpiece of elaborate harmony driven guitar pop, with bells and whistles and layer upon layer of orchestration. Fans of XTC-esque song writing are going to definitely love this album. The light and dark shades are extreme and sometimes outrageous but all the while hook laden song writing holds it beautifully together.
Despite a furious pace and ambitious reach, Major's accessibility is achieved with melodies familiar and timeless. ‘Montezuma’ sees the introduction of a successful collaboration of four strong songwriters with differing but similar influences.
Major’s previous critically acclaimed release ‘The Bliss Domestic’ (2004) was essentially a project driven by the Murphy brothers, Jarrod and Daniel, and producer Nigel O'Connell. Described by Bernard Zuel (SMH) as ‘…fully realised songs, not just retro motifs…’ and ‘…utterly infectious…’ the band toured the country and Japan and enjoyed radio play for the singles ‘Shake’ and ‘Smart Casual’.
The production and engineering of ‘Montezuma’ was in the hands of drummer/keyboardist Miles Nicholas. The whole album was recorded completely by Major in‘the shed at Simon’s place’, the only exception the drums, recorded at Goose Studio’s in Leichhardt, Sydney. In arrangement and craft Miles’s debut production is a bold, broad and magnificent effort. Home-grown and DIY, it sounds anything but.
The 12 songs encompass a vast range of styles but wholly remaining within the world of the pop song. Influences of XTC and Split Enz appear in songs like ‘I Know A Place’ and ‘So Ordinary’, while ‘Better Days’ reflects the British Soul of Paul Weller. Dashes of the Rod Stewart swagger can be heard in ‘Moving On’ whilst more recent elements of Doves and Travis are heard in tracks such as ‘Revelation’ and ‘Sunburn’. We could go on. Influences aside, every song stands proudly and declares to the world: ‘Here I am, you will never forget me.’ Even a hint of Dexy's Midnight Runners can be heard within ‘D.O.O.K’. Diverse? Moi? The stellar vocal delivery, musicianship and spiky lyrics will draw any appreciator of fine music. ‘Montezuma’ is a tour de force. Enjoy the album.
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