Album Review: Songs - Malabar

If you're travelling along southern India you may find yourself in a region called Malabar. But that has no connection to this album whatsoever. Instead, Malabar, NSW (neighbour to Maroubra, for those of you playing at home), was the town responsible for the title of the second effort for Sydney four-piece, Songs.

Album number two sees the outfit continuing with their brand of lo-fi jangly guitar-pop, jam packed with toe-tapping hooks and danceable melodies (The Country). But what this album explores – that wasn't as apparent in their self-titled debut – is the looseness in song structure, giving way to plenty more instrumental jams and spontaneous musical ideas, which are threaded through songs like Boy/Girl. This free-flow aspect ties their album together brilliantly.

Though the record has no real connection to India (besides a quick trip to the country by vocalist Ela Stiles), there are striking moments of psychedelic Indian influences in their music, as heard in Looking Without Seeing; the elongated wispy vocals, the electric guitar mimicking the sitar and various woodwind additions – which are quite enchanting and hypnotic. However, they still hold onto their DIY grunge aesthetic with tracks like opener, Alone When I'm With You.

This is the first effort from Songs featuring their new line-up – they experienced a bit of a shift after the recording of their debut record – and together they have produced a rich, spellbinding record, tinged with a classic Australian sound.