As the first full-length outpouring from one of Hot Press’ ‘50 Acts You Must Hear in 2012’, we were eager to get our hands on Broken Brother’s Secret Bells, the debut from Waterford’s Solar Taxi. The much anticipated album follows a year-and-a-half of intensive songwriting, with the band citing Goldfrapp, Fever Ray and Daft Punk as influences along the way. And the good news is that it doesn’t disappoint.
As a live act they have begun to build a substantial following, with their electro funk work-outs and floor filling dance tunes. They even shared a bill with 50 Cent and opened for Roxette at the O2 in Dublin. The latter isn’t surprising – their ‘80s-nuanced sound bears a striking similarity at times to the Swedish pop duo’s, particularly on the catchy ‘Within An Inch Of My Life’.
Looking at the dark and ghostly Kate Bush-inspired images on the cover, you might not expect this to be a get-up-and-dance record. But for the most part that’s exactly what it is. ‘Zodiac’, released as a single in April, is a powerfully radio-friendly stomper of a tune that springs to life in a sudden frenzy. ‘The Fool’ shows off Aisling Browne’s fine vocal range as well as her sultry sex appeal. But the second half of the album is where Solar Taxi really come into their own. ‘The Sadness In The Water’ is a short blast of synthy, spacey, trippiness (more of that please!), while ‘Browbeat’ and ‘Spaces’ continue in that more modernistic vein. Broken Brother’s Secret Bells may be essentially a pop album, but it is a finely executed one that’s damn sure to put a smile on your face.