Labels: notrock
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I may have had this for a little while, apologies to Insouciant if they thought I was ignoring them. This is a lovely little album of subtle and warm indiemo. Everything is slightly subdued, there are no big splashes or attempts to impress. This is not music for bros… this is not going to get them signed to an upwardly mobile indie label with a promo budget and a ready made army of fans… but this is going to earn them a place in the heart of idiots like me. Is that worth it? Probably not. Anyway, this is the second CD they have sent us here, and it is certainly a significant step up from the first. The music is certainly a little mathy, and “Seemed” positively bubbles with shouted vocals and the guitars swirling this way and that. They don’t make them like this any more. If not even sure if they ever made them quite like this. The recording, the sound, it feels resolutely like something from 1998 but I’ll be damned if I can make a useful comparison here beyond Ribbon Fix or Very Secretary with far less female vocals. Or the One Up Downstairs. There’s parts on “Capture the Flag” which are pure whiskeycore, “Same old same old suits me fine” sings one of the guys, and the jazzy guitar on this is utterly lovely. They inject a bit of jazz quite regularly, “Natural” is unbelievably pretty and the bass and guitar is like it’s off a fucking Ray Barbee album or something at times! And just wait till you get lost in the emo death spiral of the eponymous album closer. A true end of the world special, the likes of which you haven’t heard in quite some time.
Overall the song writing between the previous album and this one has come on in leaps and bounds, treat yourself to even the first 40 seconds of “Heart’s Desire” and there are more smart ideas carefully poured into this brief opening than you would ever believe. In fact, the same can be said of each and every song. Sure, it’s a little indulgent at times, but I love them for it. This is astonishingly well crafted and sounds nothing quite like anything else, whilst retaining an ungraspable special something that resonates from so many of my favourite bands.
“Dresser” is the sound of a band that has absolutely nailed what they are going for. This album will drift past most, but I know that 10 or 15 fools who post on the CZ forum would adore this as much as I. What a cracking album, I can’t wait to hear what they do next. I hope they send it to me.