Doing their bit for the ailing European economy, the first thing you read on Citroën's Facebook page is "We are not a dodgy French car!". I'm sure that company manufacture automobiles of the highest order, but I digress. This particular Citroën are a trio from Minneapolis who make alt-rock which owes a debut to bands like Pixies and the rest of the 4AD roster from around that time. These are crunching guitar tunes with both melody and economy; they don't rush the music, but they don't draw songs out or add unnecessary elements. Each section is planned to enhance the tunes and ensure that they never outstay their welcome. They correctly point out that the bass is "elastic", a good trait to have and one that prevents the music from becoming too rigid as rock often can.
It's perhaps opening track 'Shifting Sands' that most people will pick out on an initial listen to this debut EP, and this will likely be because its closest to the sound/scene/era we mentioned above; but it's also the most upbeat and is carried out with confidence and production that you could describe as "mid-fi". Not too gleaming but not following the sounds-like-it-was-recorded-on-a-tape-player-down-a-well craze that seems omnipresent at the moment. It's perfect for their music. 'Sea Wolf' and the stop/start 'Shore' both follow a similar path with decent results, but it's on final track 'Terminal Bliss' that Citroën show us they're no one-trick ponies. Changing tack a little they opt for ticking, electronic percussion and embrace more vintage electronic music in general, without sacrificing song for style; there's still a good tune here. This is a band at the beginning of their career and the fact that they not only have good songs but are open to trying different ideas is very promising.
Citroën's website
Stream or download the EP
For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter
contact@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment