Elefant

Reviews

Birdie
Some Dusty (CD)
Although the title Some Dusty has been plucked from the lyrics of I Can't Let Go, its nice to imagine that the real Dusty of the title is Dusty Springfield, as the songs have the sort of melodies, considered arrangements and timeless pop charm that Dusty would have been proud of. Former Dolly Mixture Debsy's gentle vocals are backed by guitars, electric pianos, and Sean O'Hagan string arrangements. The occasional trumpet flourishes seem to have been lifted straight from the Burt Bacharach songbook, but the close harmony oohs and ahhs of the backing vocals often take the overall effect closer to the Carpenters. This gorgeous album was originally released in 1999 on IT Records, but has recently been reissued by Elefant, hopefully gaining Birdie further interest in advance of their forthcoming album's imminent release.

The Clientele
(I Want You) More Than Ever (7")
The Clientele turn up the reverb to eleven and cement their place as the band of the moment with possibly their best single yet. (I Want You) More Than Ever shows a catchier up tempo side of the band, whilst 6 a.m. Morningside is another slice of the dreamy laid back guitar pop that they do so well. If you didn't know better you could well believe that these were some thirty year old recordings by contemporaries of The Velvet Underground and The Byrds, and sigh, and say "they don't make them like that anymore." Thankfully, The Clientele do.