Remember when Of Montreal used to be really good? Remember back 1999-2001 when they were nearly twee, in love with the Kinks, and weren't so far off the deep end they could write a pop hit with their eyes closed? If you can remember those days and enjoyed them you'll absolutely love Miniature Tigers. Seemingly trapped in a Kevin Barnes dream that he has yet to wake up from, their latest album Mia Pharaoh is what Of Montreal should still sound like but never will.
A fantastic indie pop album Mia Pharaoh touches on psychedelic pop, twee pop, broken hearts, sunshiny days, and even laying it down on the dance floor for a night on the tiles. It's a brilliant pop record that's incredibly catchy, fragile, and hanging on for dear life but somehow, someway keeps an optimistic attitude throughout. Miniature Tigers do a great job here of taking their quirky and somewhat disturbing sense of humor and channeling it into songs that if you don't listen to carefully you'll miss the punchline. It's slightly pervy stuff (kind of like Of Montreal) that would make a crossed dressed Kevin Barnes blush. That being said all this is cleverly disguised in massive sugar rushes of hooks and riffs that are impossible to get out of your head. The first song on Mia Pharaoh ("Sex On The Regular") is so easy to remember that I was humming it in my sleep last night. These guys clearly know how to write a huge infectious pop song and have done exceptional job at planting them throughout the ten songs here.
Mia Pharaoh is an indie pop triumph that should make Of Montreal embarrassed. Miniature Tigers have pieced together a gem of a record that's at home at the local indie dive as must as it is wandering the streets at night in love. Mia Pharaoh is an excited, tender, but lovely record that shows Miniature Tigers turning into an indie pop juggernaut. Let's just hope that they don't fall off the deep end like their peers did...that would be tragic.
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