Sonic Kimono’s new single ‘Coffee and Cake’ is also their first single. The duo from Hatfield, in Hertfordshire, self-identify as a “Fuzzy jangly psychedelic originals band” on their Facebook page, and there’s nothing wrong in their description from what we hear, here. It’s an engaging single, more grounded than psychedelic really, and with the sardonic vocal stylings of mid-90s Jarvis Cocker:
“I can’t believe my eyes,
I’m in another life,
it takes me by surprise,
it’s hard to understand,
everything I want,
I’m certain I can’t get.”
Lyrically it’s good too, complemented by heavily effected guitar and not over-produced. It’d be nice to hear more from them, this seems like it could be the beginning of something really assured.
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CALLING FROM THE ROOFTOPS
SECOND TO NONE (SELF-RELEASED)
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A little way back on the assuredness-meter is Calling From The Rooftops, who have just released their EP Second to None. The four-piece from Essex are early on in their careers (really, achingly early on) and of the four songs three are pretty interesting-only ‘Beast’ is a bit of a let-down, leaning unreflectively on teenage angst a bit much (the EP as a whole puts the theory of judging bands by their names to shame-although it’s maybe best kept as a working title). The rest is respectable though, and you can imagine there being something interesting from any of these guys in the future.
It’s a varied disc, in style more than quality. There’s a lot of balance here, and some solid guitar work especially-they’re at their best when the vocals have the assurance to be laid back and speak for themselves, rather than bending more to the theatrical. It’s better that your confidence takes some time to develop rather than believing you’re all that from the get-go though (anyone with a problem with that assessment is welcome to go and sit through the entire New Year’s Revolutions or Summer Nights series at Tut’s and call me on it.)
It’ll come, though-they’ve each got the time to develop musically-and in keeping with the geography of this review there are lots of examples to look to (Cajun Dance Party, Yuck, Friendly Fires, Foals, et al) whose work has evolved markedly over their short-ish lifespans.
Both bands are worth keeping an eye on, it’ll be interesting to see how they develop. Maybe best of all, there’s enough musicianship on offer from both to see all participants through a number of lineups. Just don’t get too attached – bands at this stage have a half-life measured in weeks.