At first glance the new Ostraaly album may seem like a bit of a downer. It's called misery guests. You know the story I suspect. Friend or family member who's going through A BAD TIME comes to visit and spends their whole time moaning about how rubbish their life is and proceeds to suck the life forces from your body, already enfeebled by years of wage slavery, unfulfilled ambition and the metronomic march into the grave.
I think if I was this band's manager I might have suggested a more uplifting title like Happy Songs to Get You Going Each Day, or maybe Milkshakes Are Great. But luckily for Ostraaly I am not their manager as I think they would be a terrible band under my tutelage. Because this is an album full of interesting and intelligent spiky pop. It is anything but a downer.
The unique and wonderful Katherine Daly is the songwriter, singer and band leader here and her talent is undeniable. I am obliquely reminded of Mary Margaret O'Hara's Miss America when I hear Katherine's songs, but interestingly she was unaware of O'Hara's masterpiece until recently. Katherine is a truly special and singular songwriter.
Of course any great band is more than the sum of its parts and all the players here contribute significantly. The rhythm section of Luggs on drums, Les on bass and Joel on keys keep the floor solid, allowing Alex on guitar and Lily on violin to lift the songs up to compliment Katherine's vocals. Katherine plays acoustic and bits of casio. There are many highlights but That's Driving and Kants are stand outs here in The Peppermint Lounge.
So this digital album gets 4.5 Mint Juleps from the The Peppermint Lounge and I highly recommend you pick up a copy from Bandcamp
Thank you to all the people who responded positively to this blog. I have no idea where it will lead as it's just a bit of whimsy on my part. Until next time - peace and love.
