Stricken City: Songs About People I Know
Stricken City: Songs About People I Know
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By Richard James. |  |
Wednesday, 14, Oct 2009 11:22
Puregroove, out now.
In a nutshell...
Powerful, unique and uplifting offering.
What's it all about?
Stricken City genuinely want to redefine indie. Citing great bands as their influence including Sonic Youth, Talking Heads and the Slits, the band has offered up a seven-track mini-album in order to promote their wares.
Who's it by?
Vocalist Rebekah Raa, Iain Pettifer on guitar, Mike Hyland on bass and Kit Godfrey on drums hook up for this effort. There's not much floating around about this four-piece aside from consistently good reviews. The band evidently want to impress with their music instead of their other credentials.
As an example.
"Sometimes I love you/Sometimes I hate you/Sometimes I don't know what to think/Take me to Paris on a one-way trip/You might find spontaneity addictive." - Sometimes I Love You
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
They wish. You will, too.
What the others say
"With gawky, naive charm in abundance, this will be an album to make many a student sigh dreamily as they lovingly scrawl 'I HEART STRICKEN CITY' onto their pencil cases in Tippex." - NME
"Restore your faith in indie with this fab, slightly ramshackle four-piece. More please." - Times
So is it any good?
Yep. It's a cracking effort and one which seems to exude a ridiculous amount of charm. For a seven-track album, it has more meat on the bones than most 12 or 13-song offerings being released this year - I kid you not.
It's just utterly surprising. The intro track isn't a band effort (technically making it an eight-track effort), but one where lead singer Rebekah Raa is singing on a London bus into what we'll assume to be a mobile phone. There's chatter going on in the background but it shows the more playful and personal side of the artist.
It's usually pretty easy to cringe at stuff like this but it's strangely hypnotic, if not powerful. To do that kind of thing these days, in both the context of performing and publishing, generally takes balls (I'm aware of the irony that she's a girl, obviously), yet it works.
After the a cappella showcase, we're dumped straight into the beautiful bass of Pull Down The House, something which seems a little between CSS and New Young Pony Club, only it doesn't rely on cheese or anything particularly faddish. It's just truly enjoyable. The refrain for the chorus doesn't take any steam out of the great pairing of the guitars and the Hispanic drum beat seems to complement everything going on, particularly Raa's beautiful voice.
It seems to flow perfectly. Pull Down The House is then built on by the dream-like Small Things, which uses a bit of synth work to add to the superb bass, which doesn't want to quit in the hands of Mike Hyland. Everything is so happy. It's the song you pine for at a bar which specialises in good music because there won't be a still pair of legs in the entire building.
Things go a little more dark with Killing Time, which brings out more Bjork-esque vocals from Rebekah, in turn adding a twisted feeling to the tune. It's not as engaging as the first three spellbinding tracks but that's the kind of thing which makes this album what it is; variety is provided from the beginning by Stricken City.
Pace returns with PS, though it's not as engaging as the likes of the first two band songs. The drum work is amazing, plus the distorted synth tuneful overlay lends a lot of credit to the song. It seems randomly experimental yet everything pieces together like an incredibly simple jigsaw, despite the complexity of the constituent parts.
Sometimes I Love You is the wildcard of the bunch: a short, French-influenced piece (in that it has an accordion, at least). It's another chance for the focus to be on vocals and it diffuses the album without sounding like another band doing it on their behalf. It's slow, emotionally neutral and yet again, that magic word: beautiful. You'll feel like a tool for getting a little romantic during it if you're wanting the full force of drums and bass, but you aren't gonna get it. Accept it: you like this.
The single from the album, Five Metres Apart, is okay. If you heard it first, you'd likely love it straight away, though it seems to be outdone by those that come before it. The vocals are a little bit repetitive and the tune isn't massively inspired, yet it's still a good effort. It's all about context, essentially.
To round the album off is Terrible Things, a masterclass in ending a CD: classic piano, echoing lyrics and all the drama it brings. It winds down the action in a style which you can characterise as that of Stricken City. Sure, you can compare it to others, though it doesn't feel right; after all, once you've heard the full album, you just want to give them the credit they deserve.
The only real criticism is that the vocals aren't as clear as would be desired, though that's only a minor thing usurped by Rebekah's otherwise excellent voice. It's also a bit strange that perhaps the weakest offering (or the un-best, really) - Five Metres Apart - is the single release. Not to worry, though; it fits right into the collection.
If this is at full album price, you should buy it. If it isn't, buy it twice - you could pass it onto anyone on the street if you wanted because you can guarantee they'll love it too. It's just a pretty faultless effort.
Seriously though, why aren't this lot more famous than they are?
9.5/10
Matt Gardner