Now based in London, Lawrence Arabia – aka James Milne – has brought a boatload of indie cred over with him from his native Kiwiland. As well as being a former member of The Brunettes and The Ruby Suns, Milne also penned the score for geek love comedy ‘Eagle vs Shark’ and has spent much of last year touring round Europe with Feist. So you might expect good things from ‘Chant Darling’, the follow-up to eponymous debut album ‘Lawrence Arabia’. Rather anti-climactically, you’d be spot on, although it may take a few listens before ‘Chant Darling’ sinks its sugary hooks into you. Nods toward The Beatles, The Kinks and Beach Boys are inevitable, but it’s all viewed through a distinctly contemporary indie lens – a good example being opening track ‘Look Like a Fool’, a lush, swooping song. There are a few potential stumbling blocks, luckily though the wheat outweighs the chaff by a healthy margin; personal favourites include ‘The Beautiful Young Crew’, a catchy dissection of scene kids and hipsters; ‘I’ve Smoked Too Much’, a country-tinged tune whose lyrics sport a Belle & Sebastian vibe; and the sweetly serrated ‘Fine Old Friends’. Lawrence Arabia is proof that ‘Lord of the Rings’ isn’t the only good thing to come out of New Zealand, whatever the Aussies might say.
