MIIKE SNOW Happy To You

MIIKE SNOW

Happy To You
Universal / Downtown

Refreshed and uplifted. Those are two things that the best pop records leave you feeling, and that’s definitely the end result of listening to Happy To You, the sophomore album from electro-pop threesome Miike Snow.

Perhaps not as striking as it might have seemed 18 months ago, Happy To You is still an album of distinction. While the midtempo tunes often venture into cheesy ‘80s-pop territory, the album’s stormy, unremittingly euphoric mix of pop (both electronic and melodic) rewards repeat listens.

The blend is not entirely unfamiliar - anyone who knows their 2009 smash hit Animal will have twinges of recognition. Yet the consistency with which various elements are blended suggests the outfit have grown their sound over the past three years.

Not only do tunes like Paddling Out and Devil’s Work make you want to dance, they sink their hooks deep, so much so that you might be humming the melodies to these songs mindlessly, before you even realise they’re Miike Snow.

That’s not to say there won’t be many listeners who’ll find this record torrentially annoying, but to many others this may just be one of their most listened to albums this year. Thanks to the meticulous production values, the insane catchiness of the hooks, and the pure and true emotional underpinnings below all the gloss, the album is a total success of both sound and vision.

_JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD

BALLS OF STEEL

Hair metal throwbacks Steel Panther are “more infectious than a bad case of herpes” and they’re set to bring the love back to Perth this year. After rocking the main stage of Soundwave back in March, the LA rockers will hit the stage of Metro City on Wednesday, October 10.

RIDE WITH ME

Do you remember what you were doing in 1992? Well, Mark Gardener does: he had just released the masterpiece Going Blank Again with his British alt-rock group Ride. To celebrate that momentous year, Gardener is heading to Australia on an acoustic tour where he will revisit some of that shoegaze classic as well as other hits from across his career.

BAKED SALMON

With his name synonymous with The Scientists, The Surrealists, Beasts Of Bourbon, and oh so many more, Kim Salmon is one of the most influential musicians ever to have cut their teeth Perth. He promises to “guitarfuck” Perth when he drops by The Bakery on Saturday, July 28.

SKY’S THE LIMIT

Combined their talents on full length album Songs Of The Southern Skies, Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp are now joining forces for an Australian tour. The album features contributions from the likes of artists Iva Davies, Gurrumul, The Living End’s Chris Cheney and heaps more.

GROWING UP

You may have seen them on the Rage couch over the weekend, but you will have to wait until August until you see them again. They are Melbourne rockers Children Collide and they’ve just released their third album Monuments.

SKULL CANDY

Fresh from the announcement that On The Bright Side is taking a year off, we get one more Splendour In The Grass sideshow announcement. UK trio Band Of Skulls are returning to our shores for their Sweetening Up Winter tour and they will step into The Bakery on Monday, July 23,

SMILING POLITELY

It’s official: there is not going to be an On The Bright Side festival in Perth this year, but we can tell you that at least one of the Splendour In The Grass headliners is making their way to Perth in 2012! The Smashing Pumpkins are true survivors of the ‘90s grunge movement.

WAKE ME UP

After pulling the pin on his proposed stop in WA earlier this year due to a stirring bout of pneumonia, George Michael has announced dates to make up for it, including a stop in WA which will go down in history.