RIP IT UP Review

YVES KLEIN BLUE
Issue 1041
RAGGED AND ECSTATIC (DEW PROCESS/UMA)
In 1955, French artist Yves Klein developed a deep blue hue of paint that had the same brightness and intensity as its dry pigments. The colour, crowned International Klein Blue, went on to be the inspiration for the majority of Klein’s masterpieces. In 2006, four lads from Brisbane borrowed his name and used it for their band. Three years later and after an almost unparalleled amount of hype from the Australian music industry, Yves Klein Blue have unveiled their very own masterpiece.
Yves Klein Blue’s debut full length, Ragged And Ecstatic, delivers on the promises made last year by their triumphant EP, Draw Attention To Themselves. Recorded in LA with Kevin Augunas, indie producer extraordinaire responsible for the Cold War Kids’ latest, the foursome have crafted a mature piece of Australian indie rock with a healthy serving of pop sensibilities spattered throughout.
Chances are you’ve already heard the insanely danceable Polka, filled with frontman Michael Tomlinson’s enigmatic musings on chemically fuelled nights on the town. And it’s Tomlinson’s witty lyricism that goes a long way to making Yves Klein Blue so damn charming. There aren’t many wasted moments on Ragged And Ecstatic, with every song a testament to the boys’ versatility and skill. While the horns of Summer Sheets are reminiscent of that signature ska sound, the carefully crafted rock goodness of Queeny cries out to be played at high volume every time.
Whatever your musical affiliations, Ragged And Ecstatic is destined to have you shuffling along in your bedroom and bursting into impromptu air guitar solos on the train. Oh, and it’s a hell of a lot more entertaining that watching paint dry.

Liam Sharrad

taken from: http://www.ripitup.com.au/reviews/13885