Review: Black Popes – Broader Meadows

Black Popes – Broader Meadows (Independent)

Did you know the Black Pope is a derogatory nickname for the big cheese in the Jesuits? Interesting stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree, but not wholly relevant to this review. The Black Popes are also an Australian garage-pop quartet, let by singer and chief songwriter Alex Kuhlmann. They’re something of a live draw in their home state of Victoria, where they’ve earned themselves the reputation for a lively night out. Audiences are reported to be ‘raucous and appreciative’, which certainly sounds like a lively night out to me.

For a band like Black Popes, a trip to a studio to recreate an exciting live experience on tape can be problematic, but not so here. They’ve resisted the temptation to turn everything up and go hell-for-leather, but instead retain their good time feel through their innate pop appeal. Kuhlmann writes songs with hooks - they get under the skin and stick around. Opening number “Believe” is a fine example. It’s almost power-pop in it’s directness, but there’s a songwriting craftsmanship at play which the Finn brothers or Jason Falkner might recognize. “Logic Is a Boat” seems to ally itself with the oh-so-clever pop that evolved out of ‘70s new wave, think The Regents or Martha and the Muffins, which is a good thing, and not forgetting “Dirty Girls Doin' Weather”, which will get men of a certain age tapping their feet and nodding illicit accord.

www.myspace.com/theblackpopes

Rob F.