Malibu Stacy – We Are Not From

- by Thomas

Didn’t really know Malibu Stacy until I received their latest album. This outfit from the south of Belgium had a small hit a couple of years ago with the punkrocky “Los Angeles” which was included in “Fifa 2007”. Other than that their claim to fame has been rather limited. That could all very well change with “We Are Not From” though.

On album number three one thing becomes clear right from the start: goodbye punkrock, hello Arcade Fire! As soon as “Razorback” comes around, I was sold. It sounds huge and the addition of trumpet and sax really ties everything together. The influences are obvious but fuck it, when it’s this nicely executed, then I see no reason to bitch about it. Next up is “Patricia”, a mellow song with great harmonies, an acoustic guitar, subtle percussion and a banjo. Equally charming are “The Road Is Dead” and “Gyokusai” and these guyskept me interested all the way up to closer “Lassa Lucia!”, which sounds like something you would hear in an elevator. A classy elevator. With a bellboy.

“We Are Not From” is the sound of a band that completely reinvented themselves. It takes balls to veer off in another direction but they did the right thing and came out winning.
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.62tvrecords.com
http://www.malibustacy.com