Minimum Chips
"Sound Asleep" EP (Sound Malfunction 2004)
by Eliza Sarlos, Mess Noise 01 april/may 2005


Pop inhabits many guises, most of which yu'll know all too well. From the dulcet exploratory pop of New Buffalo right down to the accomplished navel gazing pop Art of Fighting deliver, Australia's not afraid of reinventing where pop genres can go. Unlike the (quite commendable) aforementioned, Brisbane-cum-Melbourne four piece Minimum Chips revel in the unpredictability that the combining of these guises generates; and the multitude of possibilities that happens when yu blend the better aspects of 'em all and push the boundaries a little. It's a multitude of possibilities that seem to aptly accompany any mode of transportation, and whilst wanting to avoid bringing this EP down to essentialism, Sound Asleep plays like the soundtrack to going places.

Like walking through the rain - f'k Autumn is rad for that reason alone. The ability to wander through streets listening to something that mirrors the surroundings of such journeys, and promotes the thoughts that wandering inspires. I'm not quite sure how they craft the sounds of ringing chords or walking basslines to perfectly parallel fellow pedestrians or falling raindrops, but they've succeeded in creating the pop soundscape to your life - complete with the unexpected blips and random interludes that make a rut-like existence that much more interesting.

Taking 60s pop as the starting point, with organs and synths to thoroughly lull the listener into an unbridled love for the group, Minimum Chips use this wrongly archaic style as a platform from which to bring in psychedelic freak outs, wacked out twee repetitive guitar patterns and - bless their souls - bass lead melodies into the mix. "Sleapy Pea" has the overly sensory effect of evoking love scenes in cult films, with their idiosynchratic and all seductive glock/trombone combo, and it's an evocation that's present throughout the whole record. Luckily these kids have the wit to enact subtlety, knowing the ideal measure of aural schmaltz and where to place it for full effect, alongside the tech and analogue smarts that act as the perfect neutralizer to potential cheese.

While sometimes they're just an English speaking Stereolab, Sound Asleep tries its best to escape the curse of derivation, and on killer tracks like 'Awning' or the schizophrenic space pop / funk of "Black", it does ten times over. Using each instrument as equal worth throughout the duration of this EP, Minimum Chips plays like the democratic gathering of instruments, and a users guide as to how to implement such an ethos effectively. Take the above mentioned "Black" as a prime example - if you've heard a bassline more insidiously assume the focus point of a track you've surely been blessed. It's an impressive skill - but not obviously so. It's all about cohesion, yo - the collaboration of well thought out parts and well-amused music makers.

Oh yeah and Nicole Thibault has got to be the supreme mistress of melody - at least in this hemisphere. In fusing these lines with understated electronics and a mild indie love in , Minium Chips appear as vital explorers of pop on an Australian musical landscape, traipsing intersections that have been ignored for way too long. Originally lovely and lovingly original, this is a band worthy of conjuring a genre into existence (I nominate "snuggle-core") and even worthier of your ears. Going places indeed.