Operahouse - 'Born A Boy'
What a difference an imagination makes, eh? I mean, on the surface, this isn't a million miles away from any number of indie bands. You know the ones, they're all desperately hoping that there is enough to go around of whatever febrile magic it is that propelled a band like, say, the Pigeon Detectives up the charts. Their guitars are rough, unlovely things, their singers yelp, and their choruses can be bellowed by large groups of people, while hugging each other.
So, the only way a band like Operahouse can distinguish themselves sonically - seeing as they do have the unvarnished guitar-work and the Maccabeesy vocal hiccuping - is in the fine details. Details like the atonal scree of the introduction to this song, where the guitars sound less like they're being played and more like they've been dropped. This can only be a good thing, as atonal scree fits into pop music surprisingly well, in small bursts.
Then there's the attention deficit disorder dynamics. In a song which is only two and a half minutes long (and that's if you include ten seconds at the beginning to get ready for the onslaught) there are so many little stabs and squeaks in such rapid succession, it's a bit like trying to grab hold of a squirming hedgehog (or hedgepig, if you're from the West Country).
In fact 'Born A Boy' is so lively, the two moments of relative instrumental calm (you can't really call them 'guitar solos', cos they are anything but free and noodly) sound like they last for HOURS, when they're actually only about 10 seconds long each. And even then, the band can't resist breaking it up with a quick BANGBANGBANG, just in case your attention was on the wane.
None of which would be remotely interesting if there wasn't a strong, hooky pop song at the core of it all, and there is. Best of both worlds, see...
Download: Out now
CD Released: January 28th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
i was very disappointed when i listened to radio 1 again after not doing so for many years,the problem for me is there is too much talking,not enough music,especially on the chris moyles show,is this progress,or am i just getting old?