There is something sweet in the lo-fi rough production of Tea Leigh (facebook/twitter) that takes her songs away from the cutesy folk-pop roots that would draw comparisons with Slow Club or Jay Jay Pistolet. The noise, the echoes, the crackles all add to the encapsulating soundscapes that transport you to a simpler time seen through grainy home movie footage.
It’s romantic and nostalgic, simple and stripped bare but I can’t help but lose myself.
I saw S.C.U.M (facebook/twitter) a few months back supporting The Kills in London and decided that they were the most pretentious band on the planet and weren’t talented enough to be that pompous. I was filled with such irrational hatred that I had to walk away and have a stiff drink and a cigarette. I don’t think I was the only one to think it either. 100% happy that my ageing head wouldn’t remember their stupid bloody pretentious name or the lead singer’s arrogant face or how much the keyboardist looked like the fella from Suede, I got on with my life.
So how violated I felt when today I was browsing the World Wide Web and stumbled across S.C.U.M. Of course they’re named after a radical feminist book calling for the elimination of the male sex. And of course it was meant to be ironic. Can you see why they pissed me off to begin with?
After hovering over the link to their MySpace for about half an hour I decided to take the plunge and to my clichéd dismay, their post punk, dream synth infusion is fantastic and very Horrors-ish. Not only do they have family ties to the Horrors but high cheekbones, sleek hairstyles and guyliner make you wonder whether they’re Faris’ army after all. Another upsetting truth is that ‘arrogant lead singer’, Thomas Cohen, is definitely going to be the next mysterious and misunderstood poster boy. Resembling a younger Nick Cave in both looks and stage presence, I’m starting to warm to his flamboyant overconfidence. His voice it pretty good too.
Whitechapel sucks you in with intriguing organ type synths where then Cohen’s vocals enter backed with choir singers; it really does sound like something straight out of ‘Jesus: The Musical’ that slowly crosses into an ambient 1980s influenced masterpiece. Summon the Sound is a much more upbeat song, which does disappoint with the fact that it sounds like a Horrors demo.
It’s difficult to get away from the similarities between both bands and sometimes this is infuriating. There are times, however, when S.C.U.M really come into their own and offer something new and a notch or two better than their goth counterparts. Album opener, Faith Unfolds and Cast Into Seasons gives a low tempo, atmospheric and at times, emotionally overwhelming experience. Paris again offers another dimension to new album, Again Into Eyes. It’s elegant in its execution with haunting piano and spectral vocals. Amber Hands is one of the only songs on the album which consciously incorporates guitars and more distinctive drums.
It would have been a more entertaining album if, instead of weak album fillers that all followed a similar formula, there were a few stronger, up-tempo tracks. At least the weaker tracks on Again Into Eyes allow for the solider tracks to make more of an impact.
All in all, S.C.U.M aren’t the most dynamic of bands but they offer a great album that is subtly entertaining. Again Into Eyes is a contemplative album full to the brim with moody synthesisers and offering a nostalgic 80s twist to a very modern band.
It probably says more about me than anything else that The Wire was the only reason If ever really thought of Baltimore before I wrapped my ears around Future Islands (facebook/twitter) – but now I’ve got something far more exquisite for which to remember it.
Sam’s vocals are as distinct and often romantic, with the the band has slowing the tempo from last year’s critically acclaimed In The Evening Air, allowing the songs to find solace in lush soundscapes. This is a record where the Baltimore trio grown up, refined their musical expression, but allow the songs to ebb and flow like the imagery of the sea.
Balance remains a near perfect pop song, but much of the album is a little less upbeat. It is the smouldering synth lines and understated rhythms that define this record – minimal and yet never sparse. Give Us The Wind is the epitome of this new comfort, this grand fragility. It reaches out, open palmed and full of child-like wonder – ready for your nostalgic embrace.
