Album Review: Darwin Deez - Songs For Imaginative People

New York indie popper Darwin Deez is back with his sophomore album, Songs For Imaginative People, an apt name for a collection of tracks that you definitely need to open your mind to appreciate. This latest outing doesn't have the same cute, bubbly vibe of the first album, but it does gradually grow on you with its disjointed melodies, seemingly random vocal compositions and jagged guitar.

Opener (800) Human is a social commentary of a world that's obsessed with online and TV shopping as he sings: “Feel brand new in just three easy payments”. The trademark jagged guitar and vocals that don't seem to follow a pattern or melody are all there, but it still manages to be strangely catchy.

The majority of tracks on this album deal with the topics of love won and lost (although mostly lost), including You Can't Be My Girl; Moonlit, with its lovely retro '80s guitar riffs; No Love and Alice. Alice seems to refer to an Australian girl (maybe one he met on his last tour?) as he pines: “If airfare weren't so unfair/I'd be in Sydney instantly/and we'd be Bondi bound”.

Redshift and You Can't Be My Girl, with its great little electric guitar break down in middle, are two of the most melodic and flowing songs on album, which in turns makes them the most enjoyable to listen to. Closer Chelsea's Hotel is a nice way to finish in another sad love song that shows a delicate, personable side to Darwin Deez. Songs For Imaginative People is a solid second outing, with one or two unfortunate duds.