We will all die at the hands of CGI is the second album for Melbourne’s own The Bon Scotts. Don’t let their name fool you. There are no overly distorted guitars, gravelly vocals or references to loose women. What is contained within the album, however, is consistently good Australian music.

Bursting onto the scene in 2010 with their debut album Oddernity, The Bon Scotts toured heavily and made a name for themselves through countless headline shows, support slots and festival appearances. Their sound is difficult to explain but has all the trademarks of contemporary folk-pop acts such as Beirut, Bright Eyes and (at times) Arcade Fire but still has a character and charm that is completely its own.

Instrumentation and arrangement play a huge part in this septet. Instruments such as the accordion, toy piano, and mandolin are heard throughout the entire album and provide a range of quirky embellishments to the solid pop arrangements.

Opening the album is the sweet Remember, with its junk-like percussion and lyrical musings on innocence and a past love. This is followed by “Here Comes Summer”, a more upbeat and danceable tune featuring the wonderfully cheeky line, ‘marriage would be such a comfortable way to spend the summer with me’.

Other standout tracks include “Let’s Do What The Catholics Do”, with it’s strangely catchy accordion and shout-along chorus and “Polluted Sea”, another upbeat track that you can’t help but tap your foot to as vocalist Robert Zimmerman (not to be confused with another singer originally of the same name) sings lines such as ‘throw myself unconditionally into love as if I’m throwing myself into your deep polluted sea’.

The sophomore offering from The Bon Scotts displays a maturation of sound and style while all the way winding itself in and out of parody-like storytelling and brawny sing-alongs. It is well defined and brilliantly executed, a must have for fans of the genre.

– Nigel Moyes

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