For fans of: The Kinks, Tame Impala, Teddy Blanks, Peace, (they really really really sound like someone else, and I can't put my finger on it and it's starting me on my slow decent into madness)
To pinpoint Melbourne quartet 'All The Colours' exact sound has been quite the tribulation, so leave it to the band themselves to sufficiently label it as "progressive vintage pop". Made up of a quadruple J force: 'Miami Horror' front-man Josh Moriarty, Jonathan Toogood, Josh Mann of 'Impossible Cinema', and Joe Bramley, 'All The Colours' leave no mystery for their burgeoning audience to discover. Take their Soundcloud page, for example: a sprawling bio tells us practically everything we'd ever need to know; like, for instance, how they're possibly the "most dapper band" of the moment. Perhaps this is due to their impeccable presentation - materialising onstage in suits and fricking bow ties - or how their dynamic live sets are an appropriate flux between "well-behaved to wild" (see for yourself below).
The best thing about the group's self-importance is that no matter how much they'll ruffle their own feathers (I mean, what self-hating nobody would call their music "melodically aphrodisiacal"? Amazing.), none of it will ever turn out to be lies. Because yes! They are everything they say they are; "charming", "sophisticated", "seductive"... These are words that no critic could use to adequately capture the true essence of 'All The Colours' as, for them, it's nothing but duck soup to epitomise the full spectrum of indie sound into their music.
Yet they don't just put their names on that almost stale indie rock map - 'All The Colours' are broader than that. Their confessed Tarantino influence has marked a more vaudeville stamp on this, sometimes confined, genre. It's not the unadulterated violence of Tarantino that has taken a toll on their music, but rather the "certain groove" of the soundtrack to these movies. More inspiration is painfully evident in the wailing psychedelia of the is-this-an-outtake-from-Dark-Side-of-the-Moon? guitar ballad '...And The Earth Stood Still', which slots perfectly into their "sometimes sinister ethos".
More impressive work comes from last year's breakout single 'Love Like This'; a flawless illustration of what they can do with their tasty harmonies (and what they can do rivals the likes of that little undiscovered band called The Beatles). A stairwell descent of the totally 60s harmonies winds up with punchy guitars and a refreshingly heavy bass-line.
The versatility of their melodies are put head-to-head in multiple versions of 'Shame' and 'Second To None'.
- Inspired by an old interview with pop legend Micheal Jackson where he, on a rare occasion, let his guard down, 'Shame' starts out with dark guitars. Yet it still evolves into those infamous harmonies with a more grungey touch. It starts off as something very Drenge but manages to blossom back to their early influences with 70s rock, complete with simply magnificent guitar solos that'd make the toes of any other bands of their caliber curl in envy. In contrast, the more 70s and summery aspects of the chorus are brought out in That's Nice's gorgeously electropop remix. This track is much more boppy and carefree than the original, and even sounds like something Smallpools would dish out.
- 'Second To None' is a less Pink Floyd-y, more Peace-y kind of kaleidoscope. Josh Moriarty's clean-cut vocals are most dreamy here than in their other efforts. It's almost like a smoky room; it feels cold and murky over such fuzzy guitar chords. In Good Night Keaton's hand clapping remix, the vocals are even more trippy as they dilate into a trance-like state over video game-y beats.
But I guess the arrogance first displayed in their Soundcloud bio is really nothing but a fresh, and honest take on their music, absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. No gimmicks, this is us; kinda stuff. Because it really is toe-tapping essentiality and manifests their promise of giving the audience the respect they deserve; they want to be remembered. Which really kind of is "music your kids will thank you for". And that's pretty cool shit.
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