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IN REVIEW: Guerilla Toss - "Famously Alive"

 

With a sound as bright and enigmatic as its cover, Guerilla Toss finds themselves on the receiving end of a fair amount of attention for their fifth album (and first for iconic indie label Sub Pop); I won't pretend I've been hip to them the entire time (when you're in your mid forties, things slip through the cracks more easily), the abridged version of Guerilla Toss' history is that they rose to underground prominence over the course of the last decade or so on the strength of their high octane live performances and their hard to pin down art-pop stylings.

Famously Alive sees a few rough edges smoothed somewhat, but there's still all manner of unpredictable thrills to be had; these songs are glossy and weird, exploring mainstream pleasures while pushing boundaries. Crucially, there's a great vibrancy at work here; these songs soar, shimmer and absolutely pulse with life, exuding positive vibes no matter how many sonic tricks are employed. There are elements of psychedelia here, such as on stunning opener Cannibal Capital, the mid-album highlight Wild Fantasy and its off-kilter immediate successor Pyramid Humm; headphones are highly recommended on these songs in particular for fullest effect.

Some of the album's biggest payoffs come from its shorter tracks, little sugar rushes that buzz, whirr and thump their way into your heart; the title track rides a punk energy into its melodic, sub-bass aided verses, while Live Exponential is gleefully odd and incredibly uplifting. This is followed by Mermaid Airplane, which features the most smile-inducing interpolation of Ring Around the Rosie since Korn entered the chat some 28 years ago. By the time the chopped and screwed acoustic guitar meets glitchcore on Excitable Girls, all bets are truly off.

Chances are, a cursory listen to Famously Alive will either pull you in or push you away within minutes of exposure; I totally understand that swelling keyboards, auto-tune and PMA aren't necessarily ingredients that make a meal of everyone's taste, and there are certain passages that lay the colour on just a little thick. Still, when the stars align here, Famously Alive hits pure pop bliss; it might not be the best album I listen to this year but, a quarter of the way through the year, I'm confident in saying it will be one of the most unique.

March 25, 2022 • Sub Pop
Highlights Cannibal Capital • Live Exponential • Wild Fantasy

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