Pollyanna - Hello Halo (1997)

It's hard to believe that Pollyanna's entire back catalog is languishing hopelessly out of print, even in their native Australia, where they were one of the predominant indie success stories of the '90s. It's even harder to be a Pollyanna fan Stateside, let alone Down Under. Once I discovered Pollyanna's third-times-the-charm stunner, Hello Halo in an 88 cent CD bin (thank you Sounds, in NYC), by hook or by crook I managed to obtain their entire discography over the course of four or five slightly arduous years. Amongst their five albums and twice as many eps, I still haven't found anything that equals the passion and melodic prowess of this disk.

Pollyanna's twenty-something angst struck more bittersweet and joyous chords in yours truly with this one album than most bands are capable of when their entire repertoire is considered. Were Hello Halo to have a 2008 copyright date, certain circles would brand this as "emo," given it's often melancholy tendencies. Indeed, this record is emotive, but in the most uncontrived way possible. To describe this album's most affecting offerings like "Cinnamon Lip," "Hilltop Green," and "Effervescence" with such mundane but tempting tags as "distorto-power pop," or "the ambivalent man's indie rock," would be a grave disservice - and yet that's the best I can come up with. Call it what you will, but Pollyanna's Hello Halo  is in a veritable class of it's own. 

 

01. Peachy Keen

02. Frosted Over

03. Hilltop Green

04. Cooling Your Heels

05. Effervescence

06. A Beginner's Guide to Under Achievement

07. Brittle Than Broken

08. Butterman

09. Forgetting How to Feel

10. Cinnamon Lip

11. Pulling Teeth

12. Velocette

13. Rat in the Ranks

14. Tank

 

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