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Review: |
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I went to see Saturday Looks Good To Me a while
back, and they were interesting enough that i shelled out $4
for this 7". Now, i happen to love the 7" format, so i use my
wallet to encourage bands who actually release them. The thing
is, Tracers, who has more experience with the band, has gone
on and on about how they are really hit-or-miss with their recordings.
I admit, after hearing her rant, i was kind of scared to listen
to this release, especially after hearing her describe some
of the songs on the band's second
full-length as "twee damaged". Ewwww. The very thought makes
me shudder.
Nonetheless, in the interest of science, i must persevere. Somehow, the band manage to cram three tunes into a 45 RPM 7" record. That's no mean feat, and indicates that their songs are short.
The first song on the A-side is called Alcohol. It has
a sort of flat, fuzzy recording that reminds me of many of the
really old 45s that i inherited off my parents. That gives the
tune a very retro feel, and the female vocals make it sound
like an old Martha and the Vandellas single. It's a happy catchy
song, and the only element that is out of place is that the
guitar is obviously played through some sort of distortion to
make it all fuzzy. Still, it's a nice tune, and it moves along
at a good pace.
Also crammed on the A-side is Listen to My Heart, which
is similarly recorded in a retro, flat manner. However, here
the voice is echoey, and the guitar is reverbed in such a manner
that it reminds me of Atlanta's own The
Rock*a*Teens. This is what SLGTM sounded like live, well,
except that, on record, the vocalist is female, whereas live
it was male, so the voice is different. Still, this is a nice
song, and i bet that any other Rock*a*Teens fans out there will
love it.
The B-side only has one tune, called Nervous. This sounds nothing like the A-side. In fact, it starts with a silly little synthpop melody and a skittering IDM beat. What the? This is the same band? Is it some sort of remix? Who knows, but this isn't a retro rock tune, instead it's a very modern IDM/rock fusion song. The beat remains skittery and echoing for the duration, and the guitar wanders in and out of a realm of heavy distortion. The female vocals here are small and clear, but not bad. Keyboard bits, seemingly lost on their way to a Depeche Mode song, wander in and out. Very odd, but not really bad at all. In fact, i kind of like it. Good for SLGTM for shaking things up a little bit.
So, well, this is a wierd mix of music. I don't really know anyone else who
appreciates Martha and the Vandellas, The Rock*a*Teens, and
synthpop in the same way i do. So i don't really know how to
recommend this release. If that mixture of songs sounds good
to you, well, then go track this down. Oh, and email
me. We obviously need to talk.
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