TIME OFF MAGAZINE ALBUM REVIEW timeoff.com.au SKINNY JEAN Dolce Doggerel (Independent) Dolce Doggerel isn’t the album you might expect from a band called Skinny Jean. Instead of straightforward indie rock, these talented Brisbanites concoct a mixtue of avant-pop, lo-fi post-rock, experimental, blues and more. Drawing on a wide range of influences from jazz to Icelandic experimental, their music leaps from introspective to energetic and back again at any moment. Trying to pigeonhole it is useless; weirdness and creativity permeate every aspect of this record, from the way that 10 of the 12 songs inexplicably begin with the letter ‘A’ to the curious stories that the lyrics tell. “In the clouds lives an old man with crooked fingers, arthritic hands, all bent from turning the rusted wheels of time” goes the fast-paced, catchy single ‘Anhedonia’ - there’s a visual worthy of a fantasy novel. Second track ‘Amaying’ combines folksy guitar plucking and group singalongs with lyrics about mountains and sharp bursts of rock guitar. ‘Army Wife’ sets a bluesy female vocal against loud, clanging percussion before ‘Anguish Sandwich’ starts off with a gentle xylophone melody and sensitive lyrics then rises into a heartfelt and soaring second chorus. Meanwhile ‘Alarm Heist’ is dramatic and engaging, ‘Ape’ is haunting and the closing track ‘A Blessing’ is ambient, spaced-out and beautiful. Far too accessible to be out-there, yet far too original to be mainstream, Skinny Jean refuse to play it