- I like Fall Electric’s self-description as a ‘storm of songs’. It’s certainly the way I feel about their new album, Interior, every time I listen to it. The Perth band is fronted by guitarist, singer and songwriter Andrew Ryan, ably abetted by cellist, arranger and -again, self-described- dynamic conspirator Tristen Parr and a revolving array of other personnel, mostly drummers, but now, fairly solidly connected with their engineer Dave Parkin, who let his emotions get in the way, leaped out from behind the boards and joined the band on bass.

That kind of reckless, devil-may-care enthusiasm seems to be one of the contributing factors to the storm of songs that is the band’s long-time-coming second full-length. I’ve heard their sound described as ‘stripped-down’, circa their first album, Measure & Step, but even when they pull back to acoustic guitar and vocals, I’ve never really found it to be so. Now, it’s usually the opposite, with glitchy electronics, beats and other strange noises invading whatever spare nook or cranny can still be found in the sound when the fellas aren’t trying out several other musical avenues at once; there’s even some beatboxing in there. It’s like the wait between records just made them all super keen and explosively creative.

This flood of sounds is made even more intense by a production style that is very...democratic? Every element is equally big and jostling to be noticed in a whole that already favours bass warmth over treble clarity: it’s daunting. Fall Electric got local superstar Kevin Parker (of Tame Impala) in to do what they describe as ‘post-production’ and whether that means mastering or something more intensive, perhaps even contributing some of the psychedelically weird orchestration, this glob of aural oddity makes it easy to hear his touch everywherre.

In less skillful hands, Interior might have been an overloaded mess. Instead you get an intensely structured and arty indie-rock record that spills references to different indie heroes every other second. Radiohead here, The National there, then The Flaming Lips, Calexico and Arab Strap. I don’t know if I can detect a unifying force at work, this is more a musical kaleidoscope that continues to throw up unexpected oddities every time you flip to the next track. Take the propulsively beat-box driven pastiche of Shuffle-Puk or the moody new-wave cum indie-industrial pop of Burning Flag.

The endless experimentation is never more off-putting than it is infectious, but I do have a gripe with Andrew sinking his vocals so deep into the mix. His mind is not just musically restless, but clearly, deeply invested in the troubles of the world and spilling out in his lyrics. Take a cut like New York and its musings on terrorism and the troubling mirror it throws up to people who care to have a look into it. There’s a lot of this on Interior, but often I can’t make out the lyrics to fathom what’s being sung about. I can make out the beginning of single Air Flows Gently and the lyrics “There is no perfect sazerac...” That’s just too bloody intriguing, I want to know more!

Interior is a fascinating record and only the tiniest bit infuriating. At about four listens deep it continues to manifest unexpected layers that confuse but then please. If that’s what you’re after from a record, Fall Interior have got you covered, enveloped in a storm of songs, probably until the next time they bother to put out a record.

- Chris Cobcroft.