Aural Fixations

OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY
Our Love Will Change the World
Why Don't We Talk About Something Else E.P.
(Rainbow Quartz)
Once known mainly as a spinoff of country rock band the Volebeats, Detroit's Outrageous Cherry has grown into an impressive entity that stands on its own. Songwriter Matthew Smith and his compadres have moved through different permutations of 60s-derived psychedelic rock over the past decade, from straightforward pop tunes to outwardly cosmic epics and back again. Our Love Will Change the World follows a pair of opuses, Supernatural Equinox and The Book of Spectral Projections, that found the band working through its grand ambitions with enthusiasm and occasional clumsiness. This new record, however, returns them to the pop classicism of its acclaimed Out There in the Dark. Smith strips his compositions down to their essence: hooks, melody and relationship troubles. The opening track "Pretty Girls Go Insane" sets the tone, with its bemused lyrics and irresistible trumpet riff; the rest of the record follows suit, offering one tuneful gem after another. "Trouble Girl," "Unless" and "What Have You Invented Today?" would have had "hit" written all over them if they'd appeared in the Summer of Love. The title track puts what might be trite sentiments in steady hands and makes them soar with resolute sincerity and an indelible melody. With Our Love Will Change the World (and the companion EP, which adds the delightful "My Suspicious Midwest," "Don't Worry" and "Eternity Changed Her Mind" to the album's "Why Don't We Talk About Something Else" and "Detroit Blackout"), Outrageous Cherry has reached its melody-rich apex, a point from which it hopefully won't soon come down. Michael Toland [buy Our Love Will Change the World] [buy Why Don't We Talk About Something Else E.P.]