Have you listened to the second album of my favorite Melbourne indiepop octet? Nooo? Here I am ready to tell you how beautiful it is...

In fact, even from the first listen, it is a confirmation. Our friends do not hold back with little songs (which are not such since most of the tracks don't have the usual chorus/verse repetition) full of choruses, handclappings, and playful and unexpected sounds that we (or at least I) so enjoyed in their debut Fingers Crossed.
The opening track Nevereverdid seems to be a soundtrack for an Ed Wood movie but midway through the song, the band seems to realize they are being threatened by a swarm of bees... or rather two; It'5 is the second single from the album, a pleasant and enjoyable ramshackle ballad in typical AiH style with choruses and counter-choruses taking the lead, accompanied by a flangered little guitar that seems to come out of a box of orange marmalade; Wishbone could be imagined as the main track of a musical à la Grease but set in an enchanted forest.
Full of heart and hope is the love song Maybe You Owe Me; The Cemetery sounds like a Yann Tiersen song played by Pascal Comelade chased (also by bees!) and rapped by the characters of Scooby Doo; Frenchy I’m Faking is the last chance the group gives us to dance and sing along with them (but only by their offbeat rules!).
In short, an album that is not epochal but will surely draw a soothing smile of pleasure on the face... and these days, my friends, that's not little...
Oh, in 2005, they are supposed to come to Europe, do we want to miss them???

Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos

01   Neverevereverdid (04:50)

Just yesterday, I was walking on the moon with your stalker
And we talked about love and all the battles we'd won
A permanent malaise prevented us from hiding our fortunes
So we left them bare for all the natives to see

One of two things we should have but never did
One of two things we should have but never did

Slender is the finger
Points towards the flaw
Offers you an excuse
To be on all fours

One of two things we should have but never did
One of two things we should have but never did

02   It'5! (02:07)

03   Tiny Paintings (03:03)

Tonight the neon answers flare,
Occasionally we stop and stare past tiny paintings,
Painted where all the clouds were wrong,
With killer stares and sideways frowns,
In keeping with, the universe all upside down, twice,
And broken legs and arms in slings,
You cry secretly, but won't wear my diamond ring why?

A billion cares, a thousand stings we lie frequently,
Choose the chapter where they start fights,
And millionaires have bought this town and changed everything.
I found you in the lost and found,
White, white, white!

04   Wishbone (02:26)

Choke, choking on a wishbone in the firing line of lovers who will never slow down
And I won't let you steer, comandeer the atmosphere, since you suggested running away (Romantic)

Hit the redial, maybe we should sigh a while, save our second wind for sentimental warm weather
Four forever, two together, we'll play dead, we'll play dead! We'll play deadly

Should we make believe you remember me from a holiday delayed by a storm?
Should we chance our arms' alarms set to high noon until the shiver in the river is gone?

Hope, hoping you might whistle, get all dizzy, 'cuz I found the reason why you're around
If I locate the fear, talk you through the tangles, can you chase me till you my feet touch the ground? (And go dancing)

Tambourine style, walking in a single file
You whisper half thoughts to me

Should we make believe you remember me from a holiday delayed by a storm?
Should we chance our arms' alarms set to high noon until the shiver in the river is gone?

05   Maybe You Can Owe Me (04:02)

Maybe you can owe me?
Or should we wait and see?
'Cause I've been saving up for something we need,
As long as you're open to the possibility, yeah.

Surely, there's a story in counting all the minutes 'til July the 1st,
But you counted all the seconds and it made you feel worse,
I don't wanna be here,
You just wanna be there,
But it's awful complicated and you're warning me to beware.

And honey, there's no hurry,
I know it's overdue there's a key to the door,
To the room where I'm staying,
You can sleep on the floor,
Half way through the night can we talk and see?
'Cause there's no way that I'll sleep when you're near me

06   Do the Whirlwind (04:39)

She said you'd given up,
Your folks told me you should be left alone,
on a mountain top
knocking the aeroplanes down with stones.

Do the whirlwind
and carry the hope that stings all night long,
Don't abandom him
'cause he quivers when he hears your song.


Believe me, it's safe to see,
At least be confused about right and wrong,
Plan to settle down,
Over the moon under the sun.

Do the whirlwind,
and shotgun the seat that beats (beats)
Hanging on to the one you love
To keep, keepin', sleepin', dreamin' on.


Folks given up under the quivers and lines,
You do the whirlwind,
Don't abandon,
Get a handle of yourself, son

(Ohhh... ohh ohh ohh ohh...)
(Do the whirlwind, do the whirlwind...)

07   In Case We Die, Parts 1-4 (03:33)

I've got problems,
I'm gonna use them.
I'm gonna keep them from you 'til you cry.

I've got machine guns,
I never shoot them,
I only borrowed them in case we die.

Late nights, play fights,
I'm freezing and you're leaving me here.
Blue and red up I'm fed, you're upset almost dead, tongue twisted.

35 nightmares and 94 days since I got near you and your anxious ways,
Hey darling, let's steal it,
I'm certain you're sure,
Spell it to me love.

And as we planned there's fireworks, stage right,
They're swallowing the brains of all in sight,
It's 1am, that's the evening your time,
We're counting sheep,
Sell it to me, love.

Leave it while it still smolders,
So I'll have to say I told you,
I carved our names in a tree there,
I meant the letters to be bolder, bolder,
Around the angles there's a race,
Where silver never gets golder,
And baby when we get older,
We don't have to get colder

08   The Cemetery (02:02)

You don't wanna be
I don't wanna see
Baby get your feet on the floor
Shut the door, count to four
There's ice
(On your shoulders)
I don't wanna fall face down in the flood
Of the tears from the years that we loved and we messed up
(Don't mess this up)
Let's get older

Remember the foggy window?
Remember lightning and wet clothes?
Remember the house we used to live in:
The cemetery? The cemetery?

There's a shadow on the wall and it's nine feet tall
And our hearts won't sink cause it's obviously nothing at all
And in a roundabout way we can disappear towards the coast
The most I have to say isn't really that revealing at all

Everyone you forgot
Everything you could need
Everybody's gonna make it to the cemetery
There's a Fab, there's a Yick
There's a Jenny, there's a Karen
There's a Paul, there's a Jack
There's a Denny

Everyone you forgot
Everything that you need
Everybody gonna make it to the cemetery
There's a Ross, there's a Neil
There's a Lenny, there's an Aaron
There's a Saul, there's a Chip
There's a Benny

Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Do you remember?

Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Do you remember?

Remember the foggy window?
Remember lightning and wet clothes?
Remember the house we used to live in:
The cemetery? The cemetery?

There's a shadow on the wall and it's nine feet tall
And our hearts won't sink cause it's obviously nothing at all
And in a roundabout way we can disappear towards the coast
The most I have to say isn't really that revealing at all

09   Frenchy, I'm Faking (02:52)

Frenchy, I'm faking,
Been longing to stir you up,
Changing looks slightly like back in the '90s,
Far and away whistle delayed delights.

The prospect of lightning was ever so frightening,
I said your kisses are nice,
But I'm looking for hills to roll,
Down with abandon and no understanding.

I borrowed your suitcase and filled it with pearls and gold,
You let me down lightly,
I killed you politely

10   Need to Shout (04:10)

There's a sword in your side,
You'll ignore until blood shows,
And later on, when it's gone,
When something's wrong,
The violence grows and it's designed,
To spy and try to poke your eyes,
While laying low.

Beneath the seven different reasons for satellites,
Elven different reasons for fists in fights,
There's never been a reason for fists in fights,
But no-one's ever listening.

And don't go dragging your name,
Through the mud and the rain,
When it dries I know some dust that wants to get in your eyes.

Put a stethoscope on,
You'll notice the beat is gone,
All that's left is hesitations from your previous life

11   Rendezvous: Potrero Hill (01:53)

Instrumental

12   What's in Store? (04:36)

Carve your name into my arms,
'Cause I long to feel your name blood red.

Leave our love life at the door,
What's in store?
We don't know just yet,
And that is why when we get together,
There's no need to be clever.

Lightning struck at eleven same as last night,
We talk deeper than weather,
Baseball cap with a feather,
Fire engine's here to quell the blaze in our life.

Sidestep neighbours full of lust,
Good times rust,
And the runaway's best.

And when the love detector finds a spark,
It's before dark when we couldn't care a less,
And that is why when we get together,
There's no need to be clever.

Lightning struck at eleven same as last night,
We talk deeper than weather,
Baseball cap with a feather,
Fire engine's here to quell the blaze in our life

13   Bats and Rats and Murderers (01:25)

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