Beaty Heart - Mixed Blessings (Nusic Sounds/Caroline)
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| Beaty Heart - Mixed Blessings |
Release Date: 26th May 2014
South Londoners Beaty Heart may
just be the genetically modified children of BBC 6Music's presenters DNA and
I'll fight anyone who suggests otherwise. I'd like to point out that this isn't
necessarily a bad thing so don't get your snob on and dismiss these guys
without a fair hearing. The first three tracks on this debut album, namely
'Banana Bread', 'Kanute's Coming Round' and 'Seafood' feature sounds and tones
that you could expect to hear from Paul Simon, Lemon Jelly, Django Django,
Dutch Uncles or LCD Soundsystem and that is, frankly, an awesome set of
ingredients to chuck in to your music soup. 'Opal Shred' (which I originally
read as Ophal Shed) is a quirky interlude before 'Kinder' gets underway and
mellows things out considerably - presumably so we can all sit on our beanbags
to enjoy our chocolate AND a surprise.
On 'Get The Gurls', the trio of
young gents employ a low drone and some tribal melodies to create a sun-set
vibe for the clicking and rattling percussion to perform within beautifully. Up
next is 'Yadwigha's Theme' which starts like the sounds of a 4 year old going
at a banjo and harmonica simultaneously before a steady stomp emerges from the mêlée
and a beautiful, electro-folk album forms in the early morning mist. These guys
are sickeningly expansive considering this is their debut album and credit
should be given to the team around them for creating the space within which
this type of experimentation can be given life. 'Muti' is a mess of rippling
pianos while 'Lekka Freakout' uses the kind of woozy keyboard sounds I once
loved playing with as a teenager before the Vampire Weekend-esque melodies take
over and a future indie smash is born - you heard it here first. 'Opal Loop'
(no misreading this time) is another interlude nugget which acts as a prelude
to the wondrous 'Greetings to Eblis' which is the sound of indie-pop drowning
under the weight of its own popularity.
As we approach the climax,
'Happiness' pops up to say hello in all its joyful splendour with bouncing
synths, rattling percussion and child-like vocal melodies which are nothing if
not endearing. The album closes with 'Lucky Set' and we are treated to the
sound of what I can only imagine is Stephen Hawking's worst ever hangover -
it's actually pretty terrifying and I don't recommend listening to it at any
time other than the middle of the day with people you trust around you.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/Beatyheartmusic
Live Dates:
5th May - Bodega, Nottingham
6th May - Nouveau Casino, Paris w/Jungle
8th May - The Great Escape, Brighton
10th May - Beacons Launch Party, Leeds
11th May - Gullivers, Manchester
12th May - Bungalows & Bears, Sheffield
14th May - The Kazimier, Liverpool
16th May - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
18th May - Louisiana, Bristol
20th May - Album Launch @ Sebright Arms, London
23rd May - Oval Space, London w/Jungle
5th June - Bootleg Bar, Los Angeles
6th June - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles w/Jungle
7th June - The Independent, San Francisco w/Jungle
9th June - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland w/Jungle
10th June - Neumos, Seattle w/Jungle
13th June - MN Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis w/Jungle
14th June - Lincoln Hall, Chicago w/Jungle
15th June - Lee's Palace, Boston w/Jungle
17th June - The Sinclair, Boston w/Jungle
18th June - Bowery Ballroom, New York w/Jungle
19th June - Union Transfer, Philadelphia w/Jungle
21st June - Rough Trade, Brooklyn