San Diego's The Elated Sod Story really need a good producer. Its not the band are bad, far, far from it. The guitars blend together with almost subconscious ease, and the bass is bravely to the fore and never short of melodic. The drums are snappy and tight and the vocals are confidently hazy, the sort of vocal only the really talented can get away with. What frustrates is whats missing. Now, im no Brian Wilson, but even i can spot gaps where a really good harmony or a real 'let rip' of a vocal would make the songs very, very special.
And the songs are great. Really great. i cant tell whether this is a lo-fi band tyring to be shiny and poppy or a shiny and poppy band trying to be lo-fi. Either way, the talent and charm wins over.
The lightly lemonade epic 'Similar Game' sees a chugg-ghugg Breeders-esque guitar line skip merrily with its twinkly counterpart. Its a very confident mix. Its a day dreamy affair, and just when you sink into daydream territory, a pretty, fuzzy guitar break parts the clouds. Pop bliss. On toast.
Bass lead 'Wish you had a mind' is an ode to indecision and waiting on a lover. Its full of gently heartbreaking longing. I love the chimey guitar outro. Its an oddly mature song that belies its twee melody, thanks to its ballsy, breathy vocal.
'A.S.' is a lovely swirl of a song with a subtly sinister PJ Harvey vibe that would be SO satisfying with a loud, shouty vocal in its already well defined chorus.
Reading this back, it looks like im knocking the band. Im not, i like them. Lots. Im just struck immediately by their potential. If im ever in San Diego, i would love to get this lot in a studio.
www.myspace.com/elatedsobstory
No comments:
Post a Comment