Tigers That Talked: Black Heart, Blue Eyes EP
Tigers That Talked: Black Heart, Blue Eyes EP
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Tuesday, 02, Jun 2009 04:19
Bad Sneakers Records, out June 1st.
In a nutshell...
Sluggish, sporadically charming, ultimately disappointing
What's it all about?
Four tracks here that begin with the pounding, uplifiting titular number and then three others that lack the drive or vision of the opener.
Who's it by?
Quartet Tigers That Talked come from various parts of the UK and Europe but are currently settled in Leeds. The group was formed in 2006 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jamie Williams and also features bassist Owain Kelly, half-Norwegian violinist Glenna Larsen, and drummer and percussionist Chris Verney.
As an example...
"Her heart was black and her eyes were blue."
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
If they work on the titular number and forget about the dreariness of the others, then perhaps one day.
What the others say
"Tigers That Talked strike out here with a clawed fist of intent. They're sure to be very big indeed one day, so catch them early." - Richard Brown, culturedeluxe.com
"New EP Black Heart, Blue Eyes provides evidence of why they're turning so many heads." - IndieLondon
So is it any good?
When you switch on an EP by a band you haven't heard before and hear something as intriguing as opener Black Heart, Blue Eyes your heart thuds a little quicker in the excitement that you may have found a seminal artist at their earliest stage. The elegant violin playing and off kilter, pace shifting drum beats grow to a charming conclusion, with delicate vocals supplementing the faintly eerie aspect of the track.
However, on repeated listens the charm of the titular number dies and the listener becomes aware that Tigers that Talked have not built on their strengths here. This could have been a rousing, Arcade Fire-esque delight but it feels under-developed and lacking in imagination. Of course the group could say they wanted to avoid comparisons but they don't appear to offer a good deal more than weak imitation that pales in comparison to contemporary songwriters.
You wonder if the previous quickening of the heart could have been from all those euphoric highs of over-indulgent days gone by. And by the end of final track Duet, you wish you were back there and not being dragged into mediocrity.
5/10
T S Brewster