Revenge Is Slow is Bluebottle Kiss’ fourth album, but the first to be released in the United States. It’s about time, too — and though it’s easy to compare the Australian pop quartet to the hugely popular Coldplay, Bluebottle Kiss has absorbed more Afghan Whigs, more Bad Seeds, and more Dinosaur Jr. than the Brit giants. Revenge Is Slow ranges from the country-pop opener “Father’s Hands,” which would please fans of Ryan Adams, to the sparkling noise pop of “Last Cinema,” one of the band’s best songs. Tracks like “Hasten the Blows” and “Prussian Blue” build slowly and delicately, and “Gangsterland” is awash in crunchy guitar psychedelia. It may not be an entirely consistent album, but when at its best, Bluebottle Kiss is unstoppable, layering noise, feedback, and jangles over a core of power pop. – Charles Spano
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