Don't You Want To Be In A Cult / Feel The Drip (2009)
I haven't mentioned that BSMR occasionally remind me of Air yet; "Don't You Want To Be In A Cult" sounds a lot like something from their soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides. It's mainly due to the harpsichord, but the overall romantic yet sinister feel is similar too. Come to think of it, I'd love to hear BSMR do a film soundtrack of some kind themselves. Like "Don't You Want To Be In A Cult", "Drippers" is nearly entirely instrumental. It recalls the Dandelion Gum vibe a bit more, but complements the a-side due to also being one of their more "seventies educational film strip score" cuts. This is a short but sweet non-album single that's notable for accentuating the band's more pensive side.
Key Tracks: Don't You Want To Be In A Cult
Eating Us (2009)
Ahem...
They're eating her. And then they're going to eat me. OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!
There.
This is their first album to be produced by someone outside of the band, and they went with Dave Friddman; Maybe that's why this album can remind me a little bit of Yoshimi Vs. The Pink Robots at times. Then again, "Twin Of Myself" is one of the most Yoshimi-like tracks here, and aside from a cleaner, more spread-out mix, it hasn't changed that much from it's origins as a Dandelion Gum outtake.
Still, the production does bring out a marked change in the band: While vocodered vocals, mellotron, and other analog synths are still a constant, drums, bass, and acoustic guitar all get a more prominent focus. Just the fact that the drums sound like actual drums most of the time (and are playing less mechanical-sounding rhythms) changes the feel a lot. I particularly like how much more prominent bass is here. While on earlier albums you sometimes couldn't tell there was a bassist present, here bass often plays a major part, whether it's the repetitive but doom-laden rumble of "Iron Lemonade" or the more fluid melodic playing on "Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise".
As a result, this album feels a lot more focused on their psychedelic pop side. The approach can fall a bit flat when the songs aren't quite there ("Gold Splatter" has a lovely symphonic ending but otherwise grows monotonous), more often than not this album does demonstrate that they're capable of writing a genuine pop song that still has that certain BMSR atmosphere. While this album is apparently something of a Base Breaker, I personally hope it's a direction they keep exploring, because when it works the results can be beautiful.
Key Tracks: Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise, The Sticky, American Face Dust
