Saturday 25 January 2014

The Phoncurves - Heartstrings

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.com


You might be thinking that there can really be nothing particularly remarkable about an indiepop/folk group anymore, because the level of such acts has now been declared a pandemic by the international music police and people are being advised to stay indoors and only listen to Black Sabbath records as a form of vaccination to help their bodies repel this omnipresent disease. OK, joking aside, there's more than enough of that kind of stuff in the world at the moment thanks, so if you're thinking of taking your band down that particular route, then kindly reconsider, otherwise do a runner, because we're after you and we're not taking any prisoners. But wait! Have Brisbane duo The Phoncurves done the impossible and created something that fits that genre yet is not only original but also astonishingly good?

By Jove, they have! With it's circulating "ahhh-AHHHs" and lazy, bluesy beat, 'Heartstrings' is as good a single as we've heard for a while. It's indiepop mixed with folk alright, but it sounds simply gorgeous, and nothing much like any of the other bands who fall into that category. The vocals are rich, not twee, the song is firm, not flimsy, and the writing is inventive, not just aping other acts like the rest of the scene. There's soul here and there's a genuine sense of substance that can often be sorely missing. The Phoncurves will be releasing their second EP soon, but even if nothing else they ever do comes close to this, they deserve a medal simply for injecting a freshness and a welcome dose of innovation into one of the least versatile genres going. Splendid work.





The Phoncurves' website

Buy the single





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