http://www.logo-magazine.com/albums/display.asp?AlbumID=3344

As that title suggests, this is a musical marriage rich in contrast and one seemingly fraught with impenetrability. Yet somehow deep amidst the meandering six-strings and tinkering synth patterns Merchandise have pulled ‘Lo-tech Solutions To Hi-Tech Problems’ into an impressive and commercially vibrant rack of chill-out acoustica that splits its time nicely between The Beta Band and Rae & Christian. Psychedelic in tone, it sways between the two camps of lo-fi and electro-wizardry, never once toppling headily into either, instead it blazes through 12 songs of burnt sunsets and gentle comedowns. Subsequently ‘Lo Tech Solutions…’ paints Merchandise as a duo creatively sparking and with a pop-savvy second to none.

3½/5 Pete Steel