There are at least three different bands on Quarter Acre Lifestyle's first full-length album.
There's the band that plays moody bass and keyboard-driven instrumentals, there's the guitar-rock band with Jack Wilcox on lead vocals and then there's the electronic, drum and bass band with Kristin Brown on vocals. And brothers Aaron and Cameron Pollock from Auckland, New Zealand, obviously have a variety of influences, ranging from U2's The Edge's shimmering guitar work and Massive Attack's trip-hop to Radiohead-like soundscapes. Despite the band's scattered incarnations, the 10 tracks on their self-titled release are held together well by Cameron Pollocks's energetic bass playing and Aaron Pollock's tom-heavy drumming.
With three of the four band members taking turns on lead vocals at least once, one gets the feeling the band isn't sure what sound they're going for. None of them quite succeed, with Wilcox's vocals too Dave Matthews-gruff for the music and Cameron's sole lead on the grooving "What It Is" coming off as a white boy doing his best Tricky impression. Kristin Brown, on the other hand, doesn't have the trip-hop chops of Elizabeth Fraser, Beth Gibbons or Liesje Sadonius of Hooverphonic, who the band most resembles, but her cute, shaky vocals best fit the band's drum and bass leanings. Interestingly enough, the best track here is "You Are Here," a bleak, rocking Joseph Arthur-like tune that has Wilcox and Brown singing together to wonderful results. Bringing all their strengths together, this one track should perk up ears to the interesting hybrid that Quarter Acre Lifestyle is creating.
www.quarteracrelifestyle.com
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