I guess I will just have to accept this: Kiwi Jr. write music specifically for me. Or else I cannot explain the lukewarm reaction. But maybe lukewarm is a wrong word. The reaction is actually positive. Similar to Kiwi Jr.'s two previous albums, Chopper is 'good'. This is 'good indie pop'. The songs are 'catchy'. They show 'maturity'. The sound 'evolves'. Next band, please.
But stop right there. If the world has taught me anything, it is that I should never be a silent witness to stupidity and injustice. Chopper is not just a 'good indie pop album'. Chopper (and I could say the same about last year's Cooler Returns) is an exquisite and inventive record infused with the sort of pop sensibilities that could put to shame any of your favourite Flying Nun bands. Chopper is charismatic, intelligent rock music of the highest order. And, as of August, it is my album of the year.
The sound of the band is much the same - only this time the edges are less rough due to the increased presence of keyboards. They make their appearance right from the start, and the swirling keyboard line that underpins "Unspeakable Things" is so irresistible it should be outlawed. The tunes are as joyful and adventurous as ever, and, in the best traditions or prime-time Ray Davies, you sometimes get to hear a killer new melody which they casually attach to the end of a song ("Clerical Sleep", "Contract Killers"). Lyrics are brilliantly patchy, and references to Kobe Bryant and Bette Davis sit quite comfortably alongside each other within the space of one song.
Did I say in my review of Cooler Returns that "Maid Marian's Toast" is one of the greatest pop songs of all time? Well, let me add to the list. There are actually several worthy candidates here but how about "The Extra Sees The Film" which builds up beautifully, features wonderfully sardonic lyrics and sports the best chorus of the album? The keyboard line in the coda is such a glorious exclamation mark.
As ever, Chopper is a rollercoaster ride through a barrage of melodic twists and turns that I keep discovering and rediscovering each time that I play the album. Chopper is a grower. It is a little less immediate than their first two albums, but once you really sink your teeth into it, there is beautiful complexity to "Night Vision", and the central hook-line of "Kennedy Curse" will stay with you for days. I could say that "Downtown Area Blues" sounds a little more simplistic than the rest, and the closing "Masked Singer" lacks a transcendental hook - but those are insane complaints. I actually love the rough briskness of the former and the relaxed, slow-burning intensity of the latter.
This will probably come off as an excessively glowing review but I do believe that Kiwi Jr. are superior songwriters who have long outgrown their name and the easy reference points that it could generate. Honestly, I love Daddy's Highway and Submarine Bells as much as anybody. These Canadians are different and just as good. Oh and also, they are writing some of the greatest melodies in music today.
