Adelaide, Australia’s Mark Mitchell, the primary songwriter behind Clue to Kalo, follows Come Here When You Sleepwalk, his 2003 Mush Records debut, by expanding, building upon, and departing from its trance-inducing-beats-and loops-with-a-dash-of-pop-sensibility schematic. Forecasters probably would have suspected Mitchell’s next release to be a foray into a more intellectual Postal Service terrain, or something akin to Boards of Canada’s more obscure and low ended work, or, most likely, a blip-hop album, closely adhering to the electronic while enhancing the pop aspect. Those forecasters would have been wrong. One Way, It’s Every Way is a psychedelia soaked, transcendental meditation on death. And while its foundation is still electronic, the laptop presence is unobtrusive, working fluidly within a context equally reliant upon breathy, multilayered, harmonic vocals; organ; saxophone; recorder; mandolin; guitar; etc. Lo-fi production sound further distances this sophomore album from those comparisons drawn by its predecessor. It’s a stew that would make the Maharishi proud. In writing One Way, It’s Every Way, Mitchell was probably listening to more 13th Floor Elevators than the Shins, but Clue to Kalo’s strong indie pop underpinnings are evident. By no means derivative reminiscences of Belle and Sebastian via the Beach Boys rest comfortably alongside the occasional Simon and Garfunkel harmony and Schneider TM-esque blip all rolled into Eastern-influenced psychedlia, complete with the occasional time breakdown and offbeat handclaps. The result is an easy listen for those who pull the occasional bong hit and enjoy hallucinogens. For the rest of us, it’s an album that might take a few listens to be worn in, a few more to be catchy, but rest assured the hooks are there. - 30 Music
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1XLP/Out Of Print