Soleaā€™s self-titled debut is an excellent indie rock album. After hearing just the first two songs, I began to suspect it would be one of my favourite records of the year. I wasnā€™t wrong. Opener Apotheke has a dreamy intensity and life-affirming chorus that fits into your mind to perfectly fill a hole you didnā€™t know you had before you heard it. If possible, the mid-tempo Mercy Was Here is even better. It has the kind of melody line, big fuzzed out bass and killer hook that Weezer used to make their own.

Sure, the remainder of the album isnā€™t as immediate as that initial one-two punch, but the songs are equally well crafted and will grow on you. After repeated listening to this album, the only track that has failed to fully convince me is Where You Belong, which sometimes seems too droning.

The clipped chords of Shuffleā€™s verses evoke The Strokes, while So Far Gone calls to mind the wailing guitar of Dinosaur Jr, and Leaving Today is characterised by a wonderful choppy riff. But Soleaā€™s secret weapon is undoutbedly their knack for a chorus. Tracks like Frankie Machine sound great from the start, but when that expansive, welcoming refrain kicks in it takes the song to the next level. The guitar-based four-piece approach might be simple, but the results are simply great.

The band members have an impressive pedigree, with the likes of Texas Is The Reason and Samiam in their background, but with Solea theyā€™ve eclipsed their previous accomplishments. Words canā€™t do this album true justice.

Owen Heitmann

99 Ways To Tell A Story: Exercises In Style
Matt Madden
(Jonathan Cape/Random House)
208 pages

Inspired by Raymond Queneauā€™s 1947 publication Exercises In Style, which told one story in a variety of different text styles (in haiku, as a telegram, etc), Madden here applies a similar process to the comics medium with fascinating results. Beginning with a simple one-page comic detailing a (rather mundane) household incident, Madden proceeds to retell the story using myriad different approaches ā€“ aping specific cartoonists (George Herriman, Jack Kirby) and formats (superhero comic, daily newspaper strip), employing different art styles (minimalist, silhouette), changing the perspective (using isometric projection, having a single horizon), and even telling the story in the form of a map or a page of advertisements. While not engrossing when read from start to finish, as a text illustrating the different possibilities available within even the simplest narrative, 99 Ways To Tell A Story is definitely thought-provoking.

Owen Heitmann