Labels: Thrill Jockey
Review by: Andy Malcolm
A couple of years ago I was a sucker for the stuff like Tunng and all that hippy indie folk nonsense. I’m not entirely sure why, I am no hippy, despite my worrying appearance that bears a similarity to such a beast. Nor do I indulge in stoner activities, perhaps due to asthma or perhaps due to the wonders of ale, I can’t be certain. So I listened to Tunng a little bit, it’s quite nice, but I haven’t touched it in ages. But most of this genre is rife with boredom. Or makes you cringe. Check out Shady Bard, that sewerage will have you cowering in terror. Anyway, I moved on to electronica that despatched with the hippy trappings fairly shortly afterwards, and was better off for it. I figured I’d give the Accidental a shot though, as they had a nice song on their Myspace page, and involved the singer from Tunng, who has a fine voice, even if it is a bit monotonal. That song is “Wolves”, which is a pleasant, drifty effort, and the pleasant face of a pleasant band. The best songs on here are the summery, poppier tunes rather than the hazy hippy dirge, and “I Can Hear Your Voice” is a real good un, with simple repetitous guitars and great harmonies. Several other songs are simple, familiar indie / folk, that has suggestions of sounding like Ida but lacks the song-writing, Dan Littleton and Liz Mitchell.
This album is pretty much what you’d expect from a band that puts bird song in the background of a song. If you are the kind of person who can tolerate that kind of band, you will be in a hurry to buy this record. Me personally, I’m too much of a cynic. Despite a couple of corking tunes, this record for the most part is painted by numbers, and does a disservice to dudes who look like extras from Lord of the Rings (NO, I DO NOT MEAN ORCS).