The Clean have historical credentials, occupying a hallowed place within the New Zealand alternative rock scene. Not only did they inspire countless Kiwi bands to pick up guitars and start writing songs, their 1981 single "Tally Ho!" was Flying Nun's second single and straightaway hit the New Zealand Top 20, giving the fledgling record label a huge boost and helping to establish the conditions in which Flying Nun's lo-fi pop empire could flourish.
Everything depends on the quality of the songwriting in this type of enterprise, as they are not musical virtuosos, and they aren't trying to get by on attitude or anger, nor are they relying on studio polish. But they know how to write great little songs. Most of the tunes here are smart and straightforward—rough around the edges with centers of pure pop delight. Sometimes the ideas seem a little too simple for the length of the song, but The Clean never take the easy way out, which would be to churn out a long, dull jam and try to pass it off as art.
Mister Pop marks David Kilgour, Hamish Kilgour, and Robert Scott's first full-length album in eight years, and eleventh overall. The fine slabs of frayed folk-psychedelia, "Loog" and "Are you Really on Drugs?," christen the album. Elsewhere the C86-style pop is brilliantly exemplified by "Factory Man" and "Back In the Day," which are fabulous tracks and draw on the spirit of Mark E. Smith far better than Pavement ever did. Circus ragas ("Moonjumper"), hazy sunset anthems ("In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul"), and the loose Dada approach to songwriting continue alongside "proper" lyrical forays to boot ("Tensile").
If you have any sort of affinity with the music of Flying Nun Records, then this album will only serve as a logical continuation of those early chapters in New Zealand rock. The great thing is this music manages to be both important and entertaining. Tap your foot and grin as you learn.
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