Calling your album Good is rather asking for smartarse reviews. Fortunately, with this, the second from Australian janglers The Stevens, we're on solid ground. It is good. Not great perhaps as you generally know where the band are coming from and what records they're likely to have in the collection. I'd guess Guided by Voices, Pavement, Wire, Parquet Courts and plenty of Flying Nun for starters.
Anyhow, they certainly know how to construct a leftfield melody. Perhaps Good, at eighteen tracks, could have done with a trim. The songs that really shine don't do so as much as they might given a bit less clutter around them. But with repeated listens the hook sink their claws in and I suspect it's one I'll return to more than I initially thought given its generic quality because a few of the tunes are so great. So, a bit of a mixed bag, but there was plenty to take my fancy particularly as things came to a close after a lull mid-record. Think of it as a box of Quality Streets where you just go for the purple ones and the green triangles and leave the toffee fingers for someone else. So, certainly good. We hope for greatness next time round!
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