SpellsSpellsThe Happy Hollows could not be more paradoxically named; sugary art-punk audio surrounds straightforward and embittered lyricism. Like Nico Vega on a Skittles-rainbow high, this California band offers two ends: tasty sonic hypnosis for the casual listener, and a pretty basic set of messages in a freshly-opened Crayola box arrangement (something for everyone, everything in its right place).

Spells is fairy dust for anarchists. Tracks vary from the snide, grungy “Silver” to the disco-murdering “Monster Room”, to realizations of identity crisis and upholding the status quo in “Faces”. These are songs that both envelope the psyche in simplicity and force it to dance into self-analytic oblivion.  The Happy Hollows work well in this arena, able to question your sanity with a sound that mimics its opposite.

Lyrics like this one from the hauntingly so-happy-its-disturbing introspection “We Will Find You” get at the core: “Tell you my philosophy/nothing good has ever come from desperately/clinging to the things you crave/just let go, before you know it you’ll be saying/We’ve got the big shot”. One’s guess is that the song in question proposes giving up on trivial pursuits because we all lose in the end, but all things are open to interpretation.

From a technical standpoint, Sarah Negahdari’s vocals leave nothing to be desired. There’s a Peaches-esque banshee lurking about inside her, like a 10-year-old with an existential quandary to lob at us, and in some respects, she makes or breaks this outfit. That’s not to say the band as a whole is untalented. It’s just hard to compete when there’s such a cool front woman to marvel at. That being said, the backing brazen duo know how to write happy-snappy rhythms to carry around.

To a certain extent, the sequence of songs on Spells and the inclusion of fan favorite “Lieutenant” made this record what it is. Unfortunately, it also brings to the table the lack of “flesh.” As humanizing as some of the lyrics are, they almost become overpowered by the (what one must assume is) intentionally juxtaposed pep and positivity. The arrangement of these songs leave a non-stop string of easy hits with the mass audience. For the newcomers, Spells is an amalgam of seemingly too much perfection in a bundle, almost pompously above human–the hyperactive therapist with swagger and sex scents. This is a minor gripe on the whole. The album is remarkably entertaining and very difficult to put down, so don’t mistake it for anything like cynical fluff.

In summation, while not exactly perfect, Spells is that fun culmination of hipster rock and pop that further blurs the line between the two–a common feat these days perhaps, but a welcome one just the same. With a record like this, The Happy Hollows have plenty of energy to keep the stage warm.

TAGGED AS: The Happy Hollows