Search - West Indian Girl :: West Indian Girl

Trip... and they mean it

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 09/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Give the Flaming Lips a sunny California sound, and pump them full of tranquilizers. That pretty much describes West Indian Girl's self-titled debut, a swirling mix of psychedelica and acoustic pop. In short, it sounds like a summer night without clouds.



Not surprisingly, "West Indian Girl" is a particular type of LSD that supposedly gave you "tribal" hallucinations, whatever those are. You can hear the psychedelic sounds in the opener, the aptly named "Trip," a mix of the acoustic and electronic. Other songs like "What Are You Afraid Of?" make you think of a beach at sunset, with the gently undulating melody, while "Hollywood" is a percussion/trip-hop ode to... well, Hollywood.



The acoustic/electronic sound continues through the album, to the point where they're hard to unmingle -- sometimes you can pick out the piano, drums and guitar, but often you can't. I tried to untwist the layers of the ethereal "Dream," and only succeeded in spacing out. Other songs like the fast-throbbing "Vision" or the shimmering, hymnlike "Leave Tonight" are almost like drugs in themselves -- they practically lift you off the ground.



West Indian Girl definitely have an upbeat sound, even in the downbeat songs. Even "Hollywood" has that innocent, wide-eyed sound -- in this song, it's not a multibillion movie industry, but a magical city. The swirling, dreamy sound only accentuates the feeling that you've entered a parallel world, where things are prettier and a little kiner.



Murmuring male singing is in of the songs. The exception is "Leave Tonight," which is full of distant, childlike vocals singing "Time is wandering fast." It's either really pretty or really creepy. The songwriting isn't exactly Shakespeare, but its simple sentiments are appealing. "On an island off the southern sea/Overlooking a memory you once had/There's a light in a northern sky/And a picture of you that never dies." Aww.



With their polished debut, West Indian Girl has created the perfect album to play on a summer night as the stars come out. "It's summertime, let's trip tonight.""

W(est) I(ndian) G(irl)...

Christian Bonner | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States | 10/07/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is indeed a great album, and refreshingly left field (in a musical sense) for 2004. The other reviews here used all the correct adjectives to describe this record, so I won't bother rehashing. At any rate all the tracks here are first-rate.



What's strange is that nowhere in West Indian Girl's bio is there mention of the fact that these 2 guys were one half of the band WIG, who released 2 incredible, genre-busting records on Island in the 1990's. "Deliverance" in 1994 and "Wireland" in 1997. Back then, they were known as Robert Schurgin (now James) and Fran Falls (now Ten). Is there some legality that prevents James and Ten from mentioning their roots in their old band? Maybe they're ashamed of their past?



Anyway I guess that's not relevant here. West Indian Girl is a fantastic, gorgeous album, and I'm anxious to hear more from Robert and Frances. Highly recommended!!!

"

Drop out and tune in

alexander laurence | Los Angeles, CA | 10/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There was a time when Stone Roses and Primal Scream were seen as the coolest bands. They were stoned and sexy. They inspired the shoegazer movement. West Indian Girl are a duo that named themselves after a strain of LSD. They are like One Dove. But this album is totally modern. They are akin to some LA bands of today that are spiking their drinks with something: like The Shore and Run Run Run. When I heard this record I thought they were an English band like The Delays. Apparently the guys in West Indian Girl were inspired by rave culture. They actually sound like a band from 1989 place in now. As if the whole grunge, neo-punk, and alternative generation never happened. They make music that sonically advanced and that is introspective. Their music re-imagines a space where music conjures up imagination and mystery."