Sometimes it is so nice to just play an album that takes little thought about and gels straight away as it is an exercise in simplicity rather than being convoluted and impenetrable. That is exactly what I expected with Shine and I found myself completely at ease with it on the first listen and then pretty much singing and humming along by the second. A few more plays and like its predecessor ‘A Way Away’ the songs were embedded for evermore in my head and playing the album had become somewhat addictive with it, so far getting a spin on a near daily basis. Indica if you were not in the know are five Finnish ladies who are very well known at home but are pretty new to us. They released five albums in Finland with label Sony behind them all sung in their native language before releasing the aforementioned ‘A Way Away’ and adopting English for the vocals and catching our attention here via Nuclear Blast.
A recent review did mention being as close to pop music as you would find on this site but nope Indica are at times pure pop in execution with a huge commercial viability about their songs. This you will discover if you fancy stepping away from the heavier side of things for a while and checking them out. First number here ‘Mountain Made Of Stone’ sums things up as it eases you in and introduces you to vocalist Jonsu’s gorgeous and beguiling elfin tones. The track gathers momentum and completely enchants with strong melody that strikes you as so obvious that you wonder why nobody thought of it before. It builds and enraptures with an air of gentle symphonic airs and graces behind it before becoming a burgeoning force of might and completely enveloping you with the oft repeated chorus. Bam, there is absolutely no escaping it now and if it hasn’t hooked you in then you may as well turn it off now as obviously you have a different soul than me.
They started off strong that’s for sure but there are another ten numbers all running between a near perfect 3-4 minutes and all with different moods and motions about them that are equally lush in tone and addictive with their candy coated charm. It’s quite easy to see why they chose ‘A Definite Maybe’ as a single; it really is pure pop with a jaunty and uplifting catchy as hell melody that bops along through it. You will either love or hate it, there is no middle ground here but you won’t get rid of it out your head for several weeks after hearing it! I just found the video online and have played it twice in a row so am completely beyond hope. ‘Goodbye To Berlin’ is quirky and bouncy with an electronic keyboard weave and a dance heavy carefree chorus about it. It’s another bam here as it is a solid driving one that will have you wriggling around like a worm on a hook. You can imagine this having teenagers somewhere like Japan going absolutely mental over it, whether as a hardened metal fan you want to be subjecting yourself to such an alien premise is entirely at your own risk. You should naturally be aware that there is going to be a ballad or two and ‘Run Run’ is a poignant and heartfelt slow burner that delicately caresses and has the conviction behind it that could well move a grown man to weep complete with lyrics that wouldn’t be out of place in a Country and Western song. Raising the rafters vocally with the soaring ‘Here And Now’ we have a song that has a real stadium rock feel about it, hell it’s the sort of number that hits in the same sort of fashion as fellow Scandinavian’s Aha and hearing the chorus reminds me of a crooner like ‘Take On Me.’
This is a near impossible album to pick a favourite song as so many of these deliver the goods admirably as they move swiftly along taking in musically a splash of synth-pop here on ‘Missing’ to lullaby nursery rhymes there ‘Hush Now Baby’ and even some jagged post punk grooves on ‘A Kid In The Playground.’ The constant behind the music is the captivating vocals the call of which is impossible to ignore.
Yes this one gets a high mark due to the fact that it delivers 11 great songs in a way that’s purely delightful and enjoyable. Indica have the scope to be massive and touring with the likes of Nightwish has no doubt set them on the path to this. How they succeed in the difficult market of England remains to be seen but I am sure that in places such as Holland and Germany they could easily play in front of big crowds. Check them out for yourself and give them a listen but be warned doing so is likely to turn you into a big softie!
(8/10 Pete Woods)
03/02/2014 at 11:02 pm
Absolutely spot on with that review Pete, a step up from their debut – they sound like a band that’s steadily honing their style and songwriting. They really don’t sound like anyone else either – and despite their almost blatant commercialism, a worthy Ave Noctum inclusion I think.