Labels: Neon Boombox
Review by: Andy Malcolm
This split pairs two bands who have slightly different approaches to their rock of the indie variety on a lovely bit of purple vinyl. Sheryl’s are first up, and they offer up two songs of bouncy and upbeat sounding material that I really enjoyed. They have a lively sound, with a bit of keyboard buried in amidst the energy and slightly quirky vocals. It makes me think of the older Lovesick stuff (circa the red LP), but more in a poppy / catchy direction. It’s all very scruffy and fun, with a sound that you won’t really encounter that often. I am very happy to hear that DIY bands can still make stuff that sounds like this. The second track, “Sweat Like An Angel” is just a little bit darker, though it has “wooo’s!” on it. The guitar sound is very distinctive, perhaps even a little reminiscent of the Promise Ring or Braid or something like that.
Rapider than Horsepower will make you think that your turntable has gone wrong at first. The initial moments of “Igloo Blues” are utterly wonky, but then they turn things around and start making some deleriously brilliant indie rock that I would say was comparable to someone stepping on Modest Mouse’s tail, then firing the mouse out of a cannon. The vocals are all over the shop (it’s the chap from Racebannon), which really adds to it. The second song here, “Clever Disguise” is the better of the two in my opinion, with some great whispered vocals at the start and a swaying Built to Spill-esque melody that doesn’t quite seem “right”, but you can’t quite place your finger on why. There is bonus orchestral instrumenation on here to give the song even more character. These chaps might take a bit of getting to grips with, but they are unlike anything else you’ll have heard in a while.
The record comes with no label info, so, umm, yeah! Just try and find it I guess!!