"I wanna live in a shed" goes a line in opening track 'Steal Your Jokes'. I guess that explains why this London bunch have chosen the somewhat unusual name Dutch Barn for themselves, although when choosing a particular style of shed to live in, a Dutch barn must be pretty low down on the list due to the fact that it's essentially a roof on stilts and has no walls. Still, each to their own. Musically the band opt for something a touch more conventional, making the kind of noises with their guitars that bands like Teenage Fanclub and Pavement were making a couple of decades back, and this is perhaps never more evident than on the aforementioned song with its mildly buzzing guitars, rumbling bottom end and slacker-rock harmonies. It's very nicely done but it doesn't really tell the whole story.
It's always a bonus when bands don't tie themselves down to a set format or idea, and this quintet change their tune a little for 'Heart In The Middle', a song that boasts a female lead that will doubtless remind you of your favourite guitar-pop heroine; it's a voice that's perfectly suited to this softer, fuzzier sound, a fact proven by many cult heroes in the past. The best is saved for last when Dutch Barns go for a full-on attack of melodic but distorted guitars and an even stronger melody for the driving 'So Dead'. Again it's difficult not to think of those early Teenage Fanclub records, perhaps if they'd teamed up with Cocteau Twins to make every John Peel fan have wet dreams. Impressive stuff.
Dutch Barn's website
Download the EP
For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter
contact@thesoundofconfusion.com
No comments:
Post a Comment