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Head Like a Kite

There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere (Mush)

By Catherine Cole
Published: August 29th, 2008 | 9:00am

You know the expression: If you’re good at something, you make it look easy. These two guys are working their brains out to earn the indie-rock cred they deserve, and the result is a fun album that sometimes shows its desperation.

Head Like a Kite’s second full-length, There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere, is filled with copious amounts of samples, distortions, and dance-focused electro beats. Not a bad idea for the niche record they set out to create, but sampling the New York City subway announcer? C’mon now. The single “No Ordinary Caveman” starts out with mellow sounds of strings and low beats, but once the over-produced vocals fade in, it goes downhill.

The good news is that this Seattle-based duo enjoys running the indie-pop gamut and has put out some shiny, hook-heavy dance tracks without letting their vocal egos get in the way. “We Were So Entangled” keeps the lyrics learnable (“We were so entangled / That we wouldn’t notice if the house burned down”) while playing fun repetitive riffs and escalating the tempo to a very dance-friendly level.

One of the record’s winning numbers, “Daydream Vacation,” features previous HLAK collaborator and Seattle resident Asya. Her voice is simply adorable (understandable, as the girl is only 16), which gives the album more lighthearted fun points.

Just don’t expect to be challenged by it.

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