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Album Details

• Artist: The Laughing Man
• Album: A Palace For Alice
• Label:
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: archelon on 2009-12-01

Marlin George and Micah Lashbrook must have sat back at some point during the making of this album and thought 'hmmm, would post-breaks dubstep be a little too obscure?' and then looked at each other, and said 'nah, whack it in.' The sheer number if identifiable influences in here is staggering, especially for a debut album made by only two people that had it's fair share of roadblocks along the way.

It starts with 'Say When', a 58 second D&B diversion with lots of sci-fi noise and heavy beats, which fades right into 'Smile When I Show You The Door', a hard-edged post-punk track. 'My Greatest Friend' is much more introspective and a little folky but keeps Lashbrook's trademark warble over the top. Warble might seem like a harsh word, but it works. then there's the Latin-sounding 'Home', the indie-rock 'Happy New Year'... I could go on forever.

The production here is dastardly clever too - so many different sounds, one focal point, and you'll be able to identify each track after a couple of listens. JT Taylor, we thank you. It seems to flow well too, something you don't have to concentrate on too much, just pleasant noise to dip your ears into every now and again. It defies satisfactory comparison, but to be sure to be sure, it's really good stuff. Stand-out track is 'Having Fun Pt. 1' - an indie rock masterpiece.

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