Though he committed a lot of energy to working as an auxiliary member of the higher-profile psych pop act
MGMT, Athens, Georgia-based musician
Hank Sullivant found time to craft an album's worth of his own sharply constructed, hook-heavy psychedelic pop with his long-running project
Kuroma. The album
Kuromarama came about from extensive recording work in New York City, with production help from both
MGMT's
Ben Goldwasser and
Harvey Milk member Kyle Spence. The collection of colorful, often bounding tunes wanders between '80s-styled synth pop on tunes like "Running People," stony classic rock-modeled groovers like "Love Is on the Way," and
Bowie-infused funk numbers like "Passionate People." These myriad influences sometimes come together at once, as with the kaleidoscopic sunshine pop of "Simon's in the Jungle," which recasts simplistic
Kinks-styled songwriting in the homespun Elephant 6 indie pop templates of
Sullivant's home town. Likewise, similarities between contemporaries like
Of Montreal and
Tame Impala come through, but
Sullivant's pop songwriting is at the heart of every moment on this incredibly well-made album. ~ Fred Thomas