Micachu & The Shapes - Never (CD, Vinyl LP)

Well, I think I'm safely on stable ground here even if Mica Levi's head is beyond the clouds heading in the direction of the stars, I think she's a bit of a wonderful nutter to be honest. Her obsession with vacuum cleaners hasn't abated since her debut either and this true follow-up to wonk-pop odyssey 'Jewellery' is rammed with her acoustic junk-shop thrash and gleeful bedroom-dweller sonic experimentation. I like the fashion in which she constructs these songs with curious off-tunings and stuttering percussive styles whilst holding onto a strong progressive pop essence.

I don't truly know yet if the actual “tunes” are quite as melodically strong as on her much celebrated first offering (that is one tough critter to beat) but the wilful development of these lo-fi/avant-garde toytown styles she has made her hallmark is still high on the agenda. 'Never' nails that distinctive, bent-out-of-shape sound to the floor and you know there's going to be no dull moments from this girl and her compadres!

So yeah, the majority of the songs on here seep with that queasy delight we've come to know and love, the actual arrangements and undeniable intensity of eccentric, playful ideas are as great as ever. This is possibly as good as ever (it certainly entertains me silly!) but we're all a bit more accustomed now to her impish, genre-devouring ways so the shock of the new isn't quite so profound. I can guarantee (apart from maybe a record called 'Jewellery')  that you will never have heard its like before and it’s a rapidly addictive grower.