Four tracks into
Miniature Tigers' 2010 sophomore effort,
Fortress, the band delivered a blippy, keyboard-driven piece of electronic-dance and psych-inflected pop called "Gold Skull" that stood out from the rest of the album's more earthy, guitar-based eclecticism. The band's 2012 studio follow-up,
Mia Pharaoh, picks up on "Gold Skull"'s goofy '70s/'80s synth pop-meets-bedroom-psych-pop vibe while still retaining the band's melodic lyricism. Bringing to mind the work of such similarly minded contemporaries as
Of Montreal, solo
Julian Casablancas,
Black Kids, and others,
Mia Pharaoh hits strong with the lead-off "Sex on the Regular" and the dancey bit of eye-winking camp, "Female Doctor." Elsewhere, the band delivers the blissful, synth-soul ballad "Cleopatra," waxes '70s pop/rock with the
ABBA-meets-
Pilot of "Easy as All That," and even brings to mind
Here Come the Warm Jets-era
Brian Eno on "Flower Door." Similarly, the jaunty "Boomerang" is just the kind of toe-tapping, hippy-dippy disco singalong that used to be the bread and butter of music shows like Musikladen and Top of the Pops. Ultimately,
Mia Pharaoh is so full of catchy, disco-on-the-cheap numbers that it sometimes sounds a bit like a vintage Eurovision Contest compilation -- and that should be taken as a huge compliment. ~ Matt Collar