It's Karma It's Cool: Homesick For Our Future Destinations

English neo-psychedelic power pop quartet It's Karma It's Cool have expanded their musical palette a bit on their new album, Homesick For Our Future Destinations, adding elements of baroque pop and progressive rock. The first four tracks are flowing seamlessly, with the instrumental Homesick as an overture before they launch into a trio of songs about the passing of time and wondering if it moves faster as it progresses. All Branches Break In Time, with its recurring licks and flourishes, is an ode to melancholy that is filled to the rafters with jangling guitar goodness, continuing into Wild Fire Flames where Martyn Bewick manages to channel both Johnny Marr and Hank B. Marvin. The final track of the trio, Absent Transient is a mashup of early Radiohead and Echo & the Bunnymen. It's hard to follow-up such a great start, so they dial it back a notch with the basic but catchy Playing Brave, as a breather track. Dream Big, Little Giant is a bluesy '70s song that will sneak into many classic rock playlists.

If this was a vinyl album - it should be - She Slept With The Radio On is the perfect choice to open side 2. It is the story of a woman, who firmly believes that she was Elvis's wife in another life. The album's lead single, Coffee Cup Circles is a decidedly radio friendly. They go fast on this one - caffeine might have been involved, as singer James Styring reminisces about better days when the stains on the table were a bit of nuisance, but in hindsight not that big a deal. Drummer Danny Krash keeps it all together, when guitarist Martyn Bewick and bass player Mikey Barraclough are playing up a storm, only slowing down a bit when they switch to psychedelic rock for a bit. The exclamation mark in Holy Toledo! is misleading - it's a ballad. They take a swipe at brain dead entertainment with Guest On A TV Talk Show, but after the anger has subsided they end the album on a high note with the rollicking Universe and Us and glam-rock tinged vocalizing of Future Destinations.

It's Karma It's Cool:
James Styring: vocals
Mikey Barraclough: bass guitar, additional guitars
Martyn Bewick: guitars, additional instrumentation
Danny Krash: drums, percussion

Homesick For Our Future Destinations is released via Kool Kat Musik (CD) and also available via their own website.

Tracks:

1. Homesick
2. All Branches Break In Time
3. Wild Fire Flames
4. Absent Transient
5. Playing Brave
6. Dream Big, Little Giant
7. She Slept With The Radio On
8. Coffee Cup Circles
9. Holy Toledo!
10. Guest On A TV Talk Show
11. Universe and Us
12. Future Destinations

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