Albums to watch

Electric Hawaii

Opossom

Electric Hawaii

Debut album of psych-pop from New Zealand multi-instrumentalist and The Mint Chicks frontman Kody Nielson

ADM rating[?]

6.8

Label
Fire
UK Release date
06/08/2012
US Release date
06/08/2012
  1. 8.0 |   BBC

    If one comparison sticks during the album’s more maximalist second half, it’s Animal Collective as smitten by surf rock as they are The Beach Boys’ Smile
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  2. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    The pure bubblegum joy on Opossom’s debut is cavity-inducing, staggering, but the ingenuity and vision are equally powerful
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  3. 8.0 |   All Music

    The songs have Motown-tight rhythmic underpinnings, guitars that are never predictable, lots of odd keyboard sounds poking in and out, and, most importantly, an impressive amount of stickiness
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  4. 8.0 |   The Fly

    It will toy with your senses and make your skin tingle
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  5. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    An artistically free record, containing some Brit-rock, a little pop, and Sixties soul. Yet it all feels natural; you can’t ask for more than that
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  6. 8.0 |   DIY

    Nielsen has affirmed his status as a marvellous and quirky solo musician
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  7. 8.0 |   Mojo

    An engaging, exotic, Oceanic take on beatnik psychedelia. Print edition only

  8. 7.7 |   Beats Per Minute

    Electric Hawaii is, as its title suggests, vibrant and made for summertime listening at a beach, in the car with the windows down, or simply lounging around in the sun
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  9. 7.5 |   Paste Magazine

    Nielson is a formidable talent worth watching, and his debut should still turn plenty of heads
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  10. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Experimental retro-pop with a warm sunshine smile. Print edition only

  11. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    This debut album plays like the aural equivalent of a relentlessly upbeat pal who wants nothing more than to sit next to you and radiate
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  12. 6.5 |   Bowlegs

    Electric Hawaii is audio sunshine. Too much and you feel a little disorientated, but for the main you might as well bathe in the over-exposed rush of soul, funk and rock’n'roll, and worry about the after-effects later
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  13. 6.1 |   Pitchfork

    There is a lot of craft to admire in the songwriting, and in the perfectly sepia-tinged production. But Electric Hawaii is an album that's easier to bop your head to while idly imagining the technology commercial it could soundtrack than it is to engage with
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  14. 6.0 |   Q

    Compelling pop music that nicely sidesteps the formula. Print edition only

  15. 6.0 |   Blurt

    Electric Hawaii is soaked with DIY atmosphere, to that point where sometimes (ahem, single "Blue Meanies") you just wish you could hear the song more clearly
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  16. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    There are plenty of instantly catchy songs here, particularly the bass-driven power-pop of Blue Meanies
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  17. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Opossum’s sound is rooted in surf music, but only in the loosest sense
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  18. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Upbeat psychedelia that references the Beach Boys and Flaming Lips without ever sounding derivative
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  19. 6.0 |   NME

    Drenched in kaleidoscopic pop and '60s surf-rock. Print edition only

  20. 3.0 |   No Ripcord

    It seems bizarre that, for an album so dedicated to the ambiance of a psychedelic pop album, none of the songs reach four minutes or longer in length. The dreamy cues and spacious production is all present, but it lacks the soul of psychedelia
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Opossom: Electric Hawaii

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Girl N/A
  • 2. Fly N/A
  • 3. Blue Meanies N/A
  • 4. Getaway Tonight N/A
  • 5. Watchful Eye N/A
  • 6. Why Why N/A
  • 7. Cola Elixir N/A
  • 8. Electric Hawaii N/A
  • 9. Outer Space N/A
  • 10. Inhaler Song N/A
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