Birds of Tokyo
Universes

I’ve got it. Finally I’ve worked out why I’m so apathetic towards the new Birds of Tokyo disc. It’s because I just don’t care. I don’t care about what Ian Kenny is singing, no matter how good he makes it sound. It’s the shortcoming of many acts in Australia’s booming alternative rock scene: the simple failure to connect with an audience. Sure, there are big hooks and even bigger riffs courtesy of guitarist Adam Spark, but the song structures are a bit too derivative, and the lyrical content so dross, that by the time Universes has come to a close, you’re left with a slightly empty feeling, as though there should have been more but you couldn’t find it.

I’m not talking about more music, by the way, because at 43 minutes, it’s certainly not bloated. And it has to be said that Birds of Tokyo execute their chosen genre with consummate skill, and at a baser level you can’t fault them. Ian Kenny is undoubtedly an amazing vocalist, even though my preference is with his other band, the technically brilliant Karnivool. Birds of Tokyo, however, fail to soar to the heights of similar acts like the epic Cog, or even Dead Letter Circus who at least are incorporating new sounds into the static alternative rock genre, even if guitarist Rob Maric seemingly can’t work out how to turn off his delay pedal.

The issue seems to be the Perth act’s identity crisis. They’re fighting an internal struggle of pandering to a commercially viable sound, while their heavier influences are pulling them in an opposite direction. This means Universes becomes an exercise in skipping tracks. Take ‘Broken Bones’ for instance, the unequivocal high point of Universes. It’s four-to-the-floor rock glory, with Kenny’s vocals soaring front-and-centre in a very smooth mix. (Perhaps it’s time to interject kudos on the album’s production courtesy of Spark). The bookend to the track is ‘Wild Eyed Boy’, which starts off with a guitar sound sounding scarily like something off Sparkadia’s recent record. This diversion in sound makes for a stilted flow right through the album.

A great way to completely destroy Universes is to listen closely to Kenny’s asthmatic vocals on lead single, ‘Silhouettic’. With all the modern studio trickery, you’d think someone could have erased the hiccup that rears its grating head in between every single line of the song. Sigh.

Then again, if you try not to think about Universes too much, you’ll probably end up enjoying it. ‘An Ode To Death’ is a rather satisfying pop-rock tune that has a constant, upbeat energy. Like Ian Kenny infuriatingly reminds us on ‘Head in my Hands’, you probably won’t be able to get these songs out of your head.

That’s something, at least.

by Dom Alessio