Ultimate Painting: Green Lanes (Trouble In Mind) Review

Ultimate Painting

Green Lanes

Trouble In Mind

Aug 03, 2015 Ultimate Painting By Nina Corcoran

James Hoare (Veronica Falls) and Jack Cooper (Mazes) blend Twerps’ college slacker rock and The Kinks’ sun-kissed melodies on their second Ultimate Painting album, Green Lanes. Joined by drummer Neil Robinson, they tighten screws to stay on track. Robinson’s live percussion brings “Woken by Noises” from Parquet Courts punk to vintage dad rock and reshapes lackadaisical guitar solos on “Tee Zee Em” into a Pavement B-side. Green Lanes veers away from their self-titled debut by opting for slower melodies, allowing Ultimate Painting to continue crafting ‘60s pop with heavier afternoon shade.

Hoare and Cooper complement one another by scaling back, turning in slower numbers that minimize the otherwise boastful harmonies of their last album. Their altered airy lilt marks “Sweet Chris” and “Two from the Vault” with rhythms that rock back and forth. Instead of pitch-perfect harmonies taking the spotlight, they roll them back until they begin to ring like a drowsy version of Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch on “I Was Lost.” It’s low-key rock through a real-life Instagram lens with guitar solos to boot. (www.ultimatepainting.tumblr.com)

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