Good karma

Last Stop Heavenly Heights
Karma County
TWA Records

Reviewed by Iain Clacher

Last Stop Heavenly Heights is a striking debut CD for Sydney band Karma County, a strange bar-band which seems to inhabit its very own original space in Australian music.

Straddling two mounds of major influences -- eastern culture and western rock -- Karma County's appeal revolves around its ability masterfully to grip hold of disparate styles, much like the Roadrunner effortlessly stretches both legs to straddle the Grand Canyon.

Whereas many bands attempting similar feats often plummet to their fate like pitiful Wily Coyotes, Karma County's leaps of faith work because they avoid the trappings of pretense and overstatement.

Indeed, there's a kind of soft-edged mellow tinge to Last Stop, which helps blend together all the sources and inspirations into a seamless and gratifying whole.

Singer-guitarist Brendan Gallagher's resonant and melodic baritone also serves to hold everything together. Sparsely employed instruments such as the tabla and bouzouki flavour and enrich Gallagher's sometimes esoteric lyrics rather than intrude on them.

The overall effect is a kind of muted intensity comparable to Crime & the City Solution at their most intriguing. Unlike Crime, however, Karma County demonstrates an ability to sail through all kinds of emotional territories without ever becoming swamped by morose and muddy waters.

With Last Stop Heavenly Heights, Karma County has shown it has the smarts to rise above the arbitrarily fashionable, seeking instead to gain respect for its original vision. Climb aboard.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
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