The Big Scary Four Seasons

iTunes Review

Melbourne’s Big Scary is full of surprises: the first is that a mere duo makes music this rich and compelling. Big Scary’s brand of rock springs from a careful balance of weighty drama and modest indie shyness; both sides are reflected by this collection of seasonally released EPs from 2010. Vocalist/guitarist Tom Iansek sings with the same sensual warmth and much of the range of the sorely missed Jeff Buckley. (Buckley fans: check out “Hamilton” and “Gem in the Granite.") When he harmonizes with percussionist Jo Syme, the results are simply lovely. The seasonal odes venture into the realm of new music (“Summer”), neo-folk (the winsome “Winter” and forward-looking “Spring,” featuring fingerpicked guitar and piano), and brave anthems (“Autumn”). Their companion songs reflect their parent seasons: the piano-driven “Summer” gives way to the libidinous, Zeppelin-esque “Tuesday Is Rent Day” and “All That You’ve Got” before cicadas and crickets bid goodnight in “Summer’s Last Gasp.” It’s a marvelously compact trip through most adolescents’ favorite time of year.