From the land of psychedelic whimsical pop comes Snowglobe, arriving just in time to fill the void left by the demise of the Elephant Six label. Sharing some of the same old influences as their fore-bearers, traces of the Kinks, Syd Barrett, and the Beatles are all over Our Land Brains. Fortunately, unlike a lot of their pop contemporaries, Snowglobe possess an unmistakable knack for songwriting. Our Land Brains provides enough material to get lost in for months. Horns, strings, pianos, and ambient sounds are in abundance, but never overshadow the melodies penned by Brad Postlethwaite, Tim Regan, and Tommy Bateman. Some of the weaknesses of Our Land Brains are worth mentioning, but should not be overemphasized. While on the surface a very diverse album, the melodies are a little similar, and after the album's mid-point, you could be excused for asking "Haven't I heard this track before?" The interesting percussion is a welcome change, however. As you had probably guessed, Our Land Brains is an album we have heard before. It often reminded this listener of The Soft Bulletin, both in the instrumentation and the singer's resemblance to Wayne Coyne. While it's not really anything new, Snowglobe probably didn't intend to re-orient anyone's understanding of music. They set out to write some balanced, well-crafted songs, with a healthy pinch of eccentricity. In this they succeeded. Any fan of classic pop will get months of enjoyment out of this. Out of the millions of attempted classic pop albums, the vast majority fall by the wayside, while a select few are able to rise to the summit. Snowglobe have a fair way to go, but they've packed their bags and are on their way up.
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