2000 Great Songs #1333: Familiarity Breeds Contempt
1990's Submarine Bells was probably the closest New Zealand indie band The Chills came to a mainstream-adjacent record. There were a few songs that approached radio-friendliness, like the perky "Tied Up In Chain" and the aptly-titled "Heavenly Pop Hit," but the one that grabbed me at the time was "Familiarity Breeds Contempt." It's the rare song from the often-melancholy act which flies off the rails at a frenzied pace (a sequel of sorts to " Look For The Good In Others... " from the prior LP, another personal favorite). There's some cool riffing and boundless energy, but without losing the slightly-psychedelic moodiness which set the band apart from some of their Flying Nun peers (and, indeed, it kinda reminds me of a post-punk version of a Moody Blues rocker). See the entire Top 2000 to date in a sortable database !
