The Sensitive Drunks: Hill and Hay (indie release)

There's always something refreshing about a band which is unpretentious and sounds to be making music which is pop, memorable and like it had an audience of like minds as its target.

Such a band is the Sensitive Drunks out of Perth, West Australia who admit their brief was the songs should be fun and catchy, they should not take themselves too seriously "and we should be able to perform them live with at least half a dozen pints in our beliies".

And the album title refers to the address of th Grosvenor Hotel which was once home to the city's live music scene.

So what does the album offer? Unsurprisingly it is exactly on target: unpretentious power pop and songs to move a pub crowd (but it's not pub rock, it's a little more subtle than that) and its reference points are in the Lemonheads, the Byrds jangle (although more like Roger McGuinn's power-pop solo stuff), early Sixties pop chord changes filtered through New Wave and post-punk, and shot full through with a bit of knowing and nods (one song is entitled Adult Contemporary, another Perth Girls -- sort of Beach Boys-gone-inner city -- and yet another Courtney Love, Not War).

My guess is there are also other subtexts which only locals might get, but by sheer energy, wit (Dead Celebrities pokes at the death cult around the famous) and the concise enjoyable power of these rapid fire pop songs and yes, sensitively woozy, songs make you wish they would be playing a pub near you.

You'd have a great time.

(This album arrived from Dave in the band, an Elsewhere subscriber, so for further info or listenings go here. The album is also available on iTunes.)