Treetops have the same guitar jangle and pop melodies
that fill the books of Sydney's Ivy League Records.
It's the trademark sound of the Rickenbacker - treble
heavy, where notes shimmer and bleed like watercolour
paint. This music can be enchanting at its best,
although it too easily becomes gentle and innocuous.
These Melbournians are fine exponents of the jangle,
but become victims of their own genre.
The
music and sound of Treetops is dense, despite its
apparent lightness. The production is admirably
raw (judicious in its use of sheen) but it is certainly
detailed. Twin guitars are the foundation of the
Treetops sound, of themselves dense in terms of
layering, and atop this are keyboard effects and
the intricate vocals of Ben Montero and Jordan Speering.
Thus even an ostensibly thrashing, throwaway song
as "What's The Deal?" can seem much more taxing.
The longer tracks are worse, built around longish
instrumental interludes. This is the nature of their
style.
Despite
these pitfalls, Treetops show that some fine music
can be produced. What's The Matter, Baby?
opens with "Tidal River", undoubtedly the strongest
song on the EP, evoking a dreamy soundscape. Its
swooning cello is compelling, as is the vocal interplay
between Speering and Montero. This is Treetops'
strength and they exploit it in "Castaway", whose
repetitive elements ("hello hello hello hello")
would otherwise grate. Their work on "Treatin' You
Alright" is marvelous.
On
What's The Matter, Baby? Treetops make some
quite ornate music (just listen to the intro to
"(B)rain For You"). The vocals are key to their
sound and accentuate their melodies and hooks. Treetops
show in "Tidal River" that they can concisely produce
their intricate music - it is now a matter of doing
it consistently. By Michael Tran
Track Listing:
1. Tidal River
2. Treatin' You Alright
3. Castaway
4. What's The Deal?
5. (B)rain For You
6. Feel It
Reviewed by Michael Tran.
