If Marina & The Diamonds were to absorb Florence Welsh, it could very well create Austra’s second record. The music is poppy enough to be catchy and weird enough to not make you sick. Katie Stelmanis voice is powerful in its core, yet fragile in its ends – that’s the most fascinating thing about it. It’s the reason why it doesn’t sound like the radio-charts. However, the band’s problem is that they’re capable of new-wave, pop, electro and indie. And sometimes they try to cram it all into one song, with the result that it becomes glutted. The best passages are those with a clear, reduced melody with Selmanis just singing along. That hardly ever happens in the chorus, of course, which is why I find most of the choruses annoying. The verse is different, the verse is where Austra shines. Because they’ve got their melodies down. Just leave that drum out, turn the synth down, take the second vocal-track away! Where the fuck is Rick (Rubin) when you need him?! This really could have become a much better record, if someone had shown the balls to reduce and cut away as if it was about cutting pensions. In the end, it’s solid pop-music with Tumblr-credibility – the reason why I can’t say much more about it is that »Olympia’s« shell is produced perfectly, but it still doesn’t make me feel a thing.
Olympia
