Kiwi kitsch duo Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield, a.k.a. The Brunettes are back for round two, following their first album Mars Loves Venus (Lil’ Chief Records) with their newest album, Structure & Cosmetics, their first release on SubPop Records.
While The Brunettes still maintain their retro-classic ‘50s pop sound, Bree and Mansfield have realized where their true strength lies: in the harmony of their male and female lyrics and vocals. This due croons together like they were meant for another sequel to Grease.
The album’s third track, “Her Hairagami Set,” glows with subdued and melodic vocals, and is probably the best track simply because it embraces something different from the über-pop stylings of their first record, yet still manages to encompass a modern vintage sound that nestles into your ear like a moth’s cocoon between two leaves. The title track, “Structure & Cosmetics,” is a lackadaisical appeal to the dichotomy that arises in the structure and cosmetics of relationships between people.
As “experts of short, sweet pop songs,” the Brunettes toy with the concept of creating solid songs (the structure), and making them utterly inimitable in the face of modern music (the cosmetics). In that sense, they have indeed created a smashing combination of both concepts in the form of yet another darling and skillfully crafted album.
www.myspace.com/thebrunettes
www.subpop.com/artists/the_brunettes
