A record that I listened to a couple of weeks ago and took a while to get back to. It's getting a bit like this these days. So much quality product. Not enough hours in the day.
So anyway, better late than never. Mandy, Indiana, (and that's a great name for a band for starters), are a fourpiece from Manchester, England. They genre hop in remarkable fashion on latest album, i've seen a way.
They kick the record off as if they're really, really into Leftfield, Circling rhythms, mounting atmosphere. So far OK. Things start to get really interesting though when vocalist Valentine Caulfield joins the fray. She sings in French and her voice is muffled and stricken. She sounds like an announcer at Gare De L'Est in the middle of either a terrorist of panic attack.
It's a novel approach anyhow. The band create a fascinating patchwork of beats and rhythms for Valentine to blurt free form associations across. I was slightly bemused by the end of the record but bowled along by the experience anyhow. Most of all it was a lot of fun.
Bemused is about right! I listened when it came out, and liked it, but haven't been back yet. Weirdly, a track popped up on Spotify after I had finished playing Bar Italia. Need to have another listen. I've been sort of following them from the start, when they were called Gary, Indiana (had to change their name!). Have you heard the Gal Pal album from last week? Random discovery, but I'm rather enjoying it. Also, look out for Squid Ink Sky by Goo tomorrow. Heard a couple of singles and really looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteThose are two more great tips. Particularly Goo which is immediately wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is as good as I'd hoped!
ReplyDelete