Blank Realm seem pretty set for 2014. They have gone straight for the jugular with new release Grassed Inn, the follow up to 2012’s Go Easy.Rambunctious and overzealous guitars punctuated with loose jams confirm their infectious ability to throw out a jaunty pop song, lovingly lauded on opener ‘Back to the Flood’. It’s a really stark but brutal opening and the Spencer siblings, aided by Luke Walsh, complement each other with an uncanny ease.‘Falling Down the Stairs’ is Byrds-like but with a blackened heart.
Daniel Spencer’s nasally, tetchy delivery and his sister’s stabby synth-patterns take centre-stage in a more leftfield mix of psych melodies.‘Grassed Inn’ has shades of another Aussie Band, Lower Plenty. It's laidback in approach but demonstrating a clever knack of bringing a multitude of sounds together very easily but arranged in such a way that makes them taut and inspiring to listen to.
‘Bulldozer love’ is shot through with unhinged space-rock wig-outs, the noise of early shoegaze and a perchance for the dream pop and polish of Wye Oak. It’s an astonishing eight-plus minutes long and is the core of the album.
Blank Realm - "Reach You On The Phone" from Joshua Watson on Vimeo.
