New Zealand songman
Kane Strang
followed up his critically lauded debut with
Two Hearts and No Brain
, an 11-song set that sees the Dunedin native continue to expand beyond the jangle pop of his hometown into something darker and more jagged.
Strang
made waves when revered local indie
Flying Nun
picked up his first effort,
Blue Cheese
, introducing fans to his mix of lo-fi, '90s-indebted indie rock and lonesome neo-psychedelia. Thematically,
Two Hearts
shares an emotional kinship with its predecessor, but is executed with a toothier, more streamlined feel, doing away with the more pastoral elements in favor of edgy guitar precision. "Lagoons," a slow and heavy wonder of mercurial alt-power pop, opens the album, offering its biggest highlight and setting a tone that persists throughout.
's melancholic streak manifests itself through themes of depression and isolation with songs either given heft by their dramatic presentation ("Not Quite" and the slinky title cut) or plodding along in chunky bummer rock mode ("Don't Follow Me [I'm Lost]" and "It's Not That Bad"). There are plenty of strong melodic ideas, interesting harmonies, and detailed guitar parts tucked neatly into the mix, and
's talent is quite apparent even if his tone remains somewhat dour throughout this LP. ~ Timothy Monger