Airy, breezy and beautiful
Kristen A. Spangler | Cork, Ireland | 11/23/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"iTunes offered "Jealous Enemies" as the free download this past week. I have been very hesitant to download the last few weeks' worth because I just haven't been happy with the choices. I previewed the track and within seconds, I had clicked the link to retrieve the song. A catchy, yet melancholy and haunting track, I found myself bopping along, swept away by the band's vocal harmonies. I was intrigued enough by the whole song to preview the album, and thirty seconds into the fourth track, I'd made my decision to pick up a copy of "Miracle Kicker".
These East Londoners remind me in so many ways of Peter, Bjorn and John, only without the annoying whistles. The day-glo tinge present in that trio's songs also glosses many of the tracks on this disc, yet it meshes well with the bright acoustic guitars and the meaty drums. This is the kind of disc you put on when you're driving home from a few hours of overtime, just as the late spring sunlight spits orange, crimson and purple up over the clouds.
The album begins with that iTunes freebie and walks on to "Parallel Bars", which, apart from its vocals, feels a little like the Pixies meets the Beach Boys. "Circles" is next, a winding, rhythmic, trance-inducing acoustic guitar whirl that feels like standing in the middle of a leaf storm. It's a minor key sweetie that leads to the darker ballad "Remote View", perfect for sitting and thinking.
But then Dark Captain Light Captain, voices blended again, return to the Sixties and Simon and Garfunkel with the pensive "Questions", as soft and delicate as ever the New York duo could be. The same Sixties feel appears again in "Speak", but the tempo this time is upbeat, the acoustic guitar leads the track and the band is only clothed in tie-dye, not drowning in it.
What I think I love most about this disc is that, for as much as it can harken back to the free love days, it's only nostalgia, not time warp. "Miracle Kicker" isn't obtrusively Sixties, which is good, since I really never cared for Sixties music, even when my parents were reliving their childhoods and listening to it. Here, though the melodies recall Fairport Convention, Pentangle and the Incredible String Band, there's no reliance upon it. The arrangements put the vocals on top, the acoustic guitar replaces a squealing Les Paul but other than that, this is pure, innovative, Naughties folk-pop. And it's gooooooood."
So glad I found this band...
Jamie Johnson | Cookeville, TN USA | 11/28/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I also discovered this band through the free iTunes download last week. And also, like the previous reviewer, I was getting tired of the duds iTunes had offered for several weeks before that. I almost didn't even preview it, but I'm so glad I did. This album is amazing. "Jealous Enemies" is a completely addictive song, and the others are just as powerful. I've recently gotten into some really amazingly good music, and this is really close to top of the list. I highly recommend this album if you like artists like Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Andrew Bird, Neil Halstead, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Rogue Wave, Sea Wolf, etc."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
