Kitsune has to be one of my favourite indie labels besides Saddle Creek and Sub Pop, and I heard a remix of Cazals’ track ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’ on the last compilation so my expectations were pretty high. In the usual Kitsune style it was electro-tinged indie rock, cool, slightly retro but addictive, although lead singer Luca sounds like some kind of large bear-like man who drinks about 30 pints a day and lives in the pub, so I was a little surprised to check their Myspace and find out he looks like a normal-ish guy who maybe smokes too much. Second surprise was how he manages to sound so sweet and confused on opener ‘New Boy In Town,’ soft and a little melancholy on ‘We’re Just the Same’ and delicately pensive with a lot of conviction on ‘Comfortable Silence’. Otherwise it’s all funky basslines, catchy choruses and a more aggressive demeanour that seems to suit his voice better.
The gritty, real-life subjects of the lyrics are perfectly delivered by Luca if not in need of a bit of lighting up given the kind of music it is. Singles ‘Somebody, Somewhere’ and ‘Life Is Boring’ are definite highlights of the album that had me dancing like a 13 year old on E which makes them both into indie anthems for me. There are occasional faux-pas like the descending scale bassline in ‘Control OSS-117’ which would deserve a quick bitch-slap and so do the random synth jabs which kind of kill the relaxed feel of ‘Comfortable Silence’ but they’re all tiny compared to the big picture. It’s an album full of fun, melancholy and confrontation, and pulled off well in that order.
Stand Out Track: Life Is Boring (but Somebody, Somewhere is also pretty damn good)
Ollie Khakwani
Stand Out Track: Life Is Boring (but Somebody, Somewhere is also pretty damn good)
Ollie Khakwani
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