domingo, 3 de janeiro de 2016

The See See - Late Morning Light


















The See See - Late Morning Light - 2011
Stood at a See See gig, an acquaintance commented “they’re a country-rock Oasis”. I’m not sure whether that was praise or damnation but you can just about see-see the point (on ‘Deceiver Retriever’ especially): they’ve combined the familiar tropes of the past - country, folk and psychedelia, in their case - with an acute pop sensibility to create something that constantly echoes classic sounds but also has a catchy contemporary buzz. To give you an idea, readers of Uncut will rush out to buy copies while NME readers won’t mind illegally downloading it.

The band know their stuff, with a history including the Soledad Brothers, Waxwings, The Eighteenth Day of May and solo work (Pete Greenwood’s psych-folk stuff is truly awesome) and there are guest slots from Olivia Tremor Control’s Bill Doss and Hush Arbors’ Keith Wood. So expect to hear dreamy Elephant 6-ish psychedelic pop (‘Powers of Ten’), jangly Byrds-isms (‘Mary Soul’) and harmonious Big Star pop (‘That’s My Sign’), as well as some stunning trippy diversions as Pete Greenwood (presumably) leads them down woozy sideroads (the way ‘Mary Soul’ dissolves into a psych-folk supernova is especially mindfucking). But essentially it’s a pop record, from the gorgeous melodies of ‘And I Wonder’ to the staggering West Coast-meets-Merseybeat ‘Half A Man and a Horse’s Head’. Their four previous singles were all cracking (and they’re all here, but are not necessarily the best songs) but that was just a teaser for the full-length. Maybe they won’t play Knebworth, and I know for a fact they’re not City fans, but music this good – with its full spread of mythic sound but as catchy as fuck - deserves and should get the widest hearing.

01. Mary Soul
02. Tomorrow Come Today
03. Deceiver Retriever
04. Little Tease
05. Keep Your Head
06. It's True
07. Powers Of Ten
08. Half A Man And A Horses Head
09. And I Wonder
10. Late Morning Light
11. Clap Your Hands & Shake A Chain
12. That's My Sign





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