London group The Fallen Leaves have been making "minimum R&B" together over a decade now, and while new single 'Out In A Forest' does contain elements of R&B, it's perhaps not the first genre that springs to mind upon first listen (hence the tongue-in-cheek "minimum" rather than "maximum" maybe?), although the soulful vocals of Rob Green do steer it in that direction. The opening jangle of guitars are more reminiscent of '60s guitar-pop, but there's a clear mod influence here as well, which, coupled with traces '80s indie leads to a retro post-punk sound overall, which perhaps isn't a surprise considering the band include Subway Sect guitarist Rob Symmons amongst their ranks.
They clearly know what to do, and whichever decade the tune reminds you of it's undeniably good, and the fact that it picks up traces of so many eras and scenes works in its favour and gives a timeless quality. With the band name they have, and with lyrics such as "all the leaves are falling down to the ground, all the leaves are turning, they're turning brown" its release is timed to perfection too. Besides a simple, spoken "Hello" and "Goodbye" at the start and end respectively of intriguingly-named B-side 'The Inside Of A Chair', the song sounds like a lost freakbeat instrumental - perhaps something that one of the rawer surf bands may have recorded. It has punk attitude and if it had been from that far in the past you could imagine it being in The Cramps' record collection. Top stuff all round.
The Fallen Leaves' website
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