This first EP from Chicago band Grandeurs is what they describe as them "finding their feet". On the scale of a human baby taking months to take its first steps, to a baby giraffe skidding about ungainly for several minutes before slowly getting the hang of it, through to ducklings hatching and taking straight to the water, Grandeurs would probably equate to a reincarnated horse. Taking a second to realise what was going on, before noticing it's all quite familiar and then casually getting on with life. Yes this first outing has everything in the right place and there's little evidence of any unsteady floundering. It's not perfect; the songs are good rather than great, but they're well made, as though they've done this before and this debut EP is just a quick recap to ensure all working parts are present and correct.
It's not a startling sound that they've chosen to launch themselves with, it's more a familiar but very competent form of indie-rock/Americana, which as we know there's no shortage of, but it has its strong points. The sound and compositions are particularly professional sounding, plus they deserve points for consistency; it's not an EP of peaks and troughs, it's a steady stream of pretty good. There are some very nice touches, like the harmonies and tempo changes on 'Heavy Country', although they improve with repeat plays rather than hit you instantly. If you're looking for something resembling a single then perhaps 'Sleep Debt' might suit best, although it's over six minutes long. It's an EP of gentle power rather than brute force, and these recordings are nearly a year old, so by now they will have not just found their feet but hopefully a firm and confident footing that could make their next move something of even more note.
Grandeurs' website
Stream or buy the EP
For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter
soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment