hyperstory “a happening”

When it comes down to it, writing reviews often consists of comparing one piece of work to a staple that people will understand and be able to easily relate to. This band is shooting for the late early period Beatles sound, this other band for the fuzzy pop of Jesus and Mary Chain. The hard part is that it seems like often these influences all meld together towards a gooey center where there are one or two cornerstones that seems to be the Kevin Bacon of the music world. Whether or not they succeed, it is still interesting to hear bands reference other musicians that they simply are not shooting for. When the lead single “a happening” from L.A.’s hyperstory hit my stereo, I was intrigued to find that, among other, more traditional pop institutions, I heard a little bit of the Damon Albarn side project Gorillaz. The shuffling, neo-pop music that made the former frontman famous in his cartoon afterlife lives on with the slow burning, five minute pop song from the band’s self titled debut record. The song, like the album, does not succeed in transcending any barriers or really knocking me out, but it’s still a strong, unique sounding track that shows a band that should get credit for trying, and succeeding, at working outside of the usual bound of pop music.