Oscar & Martin are getting masses of props and attention in the blogosphere, on stage and around the lanes and hipster locales of inner city Melburn at the moment. Frankly, on my first listens to For You, I was unimpressed, hearing nothing but the subtly histrionic R & B overtones that edge into some of their productions. Maybe you’re less wizened than this humble scribe, and don’t immediately hear certain vocal tics as signifiers of the worst kind of pop-rap schmaltz! The hyperkinetic, dense, multifaceted nature of Oscar & Martin’s twee pop only started to click into place for me following repeated immersions in their hopeful, wide-eyed vignettes. For You is an album on the cusp between youth and experience; where youngsters find limitless possibilities and inspiration from the glorious muddle of this twenty-first century life. It’s all there; life, (a hefty dose of) love and the possibility of grand exploits and connection to fellow travellers setting out on the journey of adulthood. For You is a 3 Feet High and Rising for the Animal Collective, Fly Lo and Flight of the Conchords generation.
“All I Think About” and “Lions Heart” are full of cute puns, pop-culture references and an earnestness that reminds me of the white boy Scottish soul of 80s Postcard popsters Orange Juice (does anyone remember Edwyn Collins?) and Arthur Russell’s more sappy moments. With a beautiful interplay between Oscar and Martin’s vocals, “Party Time is Scary” relates a tale that is partly about a boy who is afraid of balloons!
“So we’ll sit by ourselves, and you can tell me lies about your superpowersâ€Â
There’s a dichotomy between the anxiety and fear of party time not being all its cracked up to be for some, and the hopeful, tumbling, dream-sequence of tribal drums and toy instruments. “My Blood” is an appropriate introduction into Oscar & Martin’s thing, with rambunctious bass and handclaps that would be appropriate fodder for an antipodean Brainfeeder act. The voice-as-an-instrument ululations, R & B (via Kate Bush, Bjork and Arthur Russell) vocals and pointillist guitar licks point towards the indie/beats crossover that I find implied by the look of the duo in their publicity shots (psychedelic Church-esque buttoned up shirts and askew stupid-dope caps). “Do the Right Thing” finishes For You off, with a brief moment from the “have I heard this before?” school of universal catchy song writing. There’s a lovely sentiment, and their massed vocal participation is set to a (almost) sixties surf-instrumental meets modern production techniques.
Like contemporaries Ghoul, Rat Vs. Possum and Seekae, Oscar & Martin demonstrate that Australia’s next generation of producers see no problem with mixing and matching genres, styles and creative approaches. They’re creating music that could quite possibly be the future anthems for a generation of kids For You has an authentic sense of self that articulates one version of modern day Australian life and distils it into ten pop songs. Kinda like that old joke about naming a boat After You; props to the duo for the name of the album. I can just imagine them telling enraptured girls that they named their album For You. Surely you’d get points for that!
Oliver Laing
