Tiger (Flying Nun) (star) (star) 1/2
Among the shoal of New Zealand bands whose records washed ashore here in the late 1980s, the Jean-Paul Sartre Experience stood out. Although the group dabbled in everything from art rock to funk to folk, its records contained some of the most beautiful pop songs of the Kiwi Invasion. Sadly, JPSE broke up a few years ago, but band member Dave Mulcahy is back with this new trio that, at times, recalls his former outfit. Many of the songs on “Tiger” manifest the dark, druggy vibe of New York’s Lower East Side bands. That’s certainly the case with the murky two-chord stomp of “Saskatchewan” and the dissonant, Sonic Youth-ish “I Got It Clean.” But Mulcahy’s knack for haunting pop melodies emerges a number of times. The gorgeous “Bye Bye” sounds like a leftover from the first JPSE record, while “Ugly Things” deftly moves from sweet guitar chords to an wonderfully infectious, edgy hook. And the record’s closer, “Waves,” is a truly lovely acoustic meditation.
