Album Review: Tinpan Orange - Over The Sun

Whether it's subconscious or not, Over The Sun dreams of escape. Of the 11 finely-crafted songs that the Melbourne collective have put together for this record, eight directly refer to birds or flying, and it's a theme that fits lead singer Emily Lubitz' flighty voice well. There are few of the banal, self-important moments that, say, Julia Stone is known for; instead, Lubitz' voice settles among her four band mates' instruments a la Sarah Blasko (especially the minor chord-inspired Supergirl), rather than residing atop them.

Those readers who have been casting their eyes across Melbourne gig lists over the past decade would surely have seen the name Tinpan Orange hidden among the pages. It is with Over The Sun and lead single Barcelona, however, that the band have finally launched into the spotlight courtesy of heavy national airplay and a slot on last year's Laneway Festival.

The deft hand of The Cat Empire's Harry Angus complements the album as well – Angus' keyboard work a major, if understated, highlight. The husband of Lubitz (and therefore brother-in-law of guitarist Jesse Lubitz), he has been involved in the band for a while either behind or in front of the production desk.

Over The Sun is an album full of highlights, including Like Snow, the abovementioned Lonely People, and a serene rendition of the 1990's classic TV show Round The Twist theme song. The similarity between Lubitz' voice and the original will be enough to hit up IMDb to see if she sang the original (actually sung by Tamsin West, who played Lina Twist, FYI). Trivia should not detract from Over The Sun, though. This is the stuff of majestic escape.