Staff Reviews

Blank Realm - Illegals in Heaven

Review by Lee Adcock

Blank Realm evolve relentlessly, synchronizing grooves without sacrificing that deep-down JOY within»

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Blank Realm's transformation across the Australian mystic from sprawling spaced out psychotic punk blues, through the startling maverick pop psychedelia of 'Go Easy' to the widely acclaimed 'Grassed Inn', continues in its unrelenting quest for that quintessential synergy of chiming pop anthems. Hook-laden throughout they unleash their wild yet tender new album 'Illegals In Heaven' which offers up freaked out reflections on life, love and circumstance. As knowing as the Chills or the Pretenders, loner ballads are as gnarled and world weary as Dylan in a cacophony as bruised as Royal Trux yet with the playfulness of Half Japanese. Recorded and produced with Lawrence English (head of the Room40 label) on a late night at The Plutonium studio in Brisbane, the album sees them on their first foray into a recording studio. While it wasn't exactly Abbey Road, it truly captures the chaos and majesty of the band's formidable live shows. It would be all too easy to say that 'Illegals In Heaven' is their finest work to date, but the simple truth is that Blank Realm have been without peers for a trilogy of albums, so it just might be as Sarah huskily intones, "Gold" too.
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