From their breakout moment as a defining indie sleaze band, the last place you’d expect The Ting Tings to have ended up was taking notes from Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, but here we are. While the results are very hit or miss, it’s impressive that The Ting Tings even have this in them; hopefully, it just doesn’t mean a total loss of their other, more boastful talents. There’s a smoky, desert drive to “Good People Do Bad Things” as the band looses a modern and sleek reflection of their influences to make a classic sad ballad, complete with a very Lindsey Buckingham solo to round out the track. “Dreaming” hits more pastiche than it should however, but to their credit, The Ting Tings inject enough soul from their own career story to elevate the embers that are there. While the sweet hooks and layers of pop on “Winning” is that much better and feels infectious, it’s missing a bit of spirit to it, and just feels a touch empty as a result. The tender switch of pace of “Danced on the Wire” makes all the difference, opening up a dynamic range that gives the pop more wings to soar on, and lets it feel like a full bloom rather than peacocking.
Taking a low-key, neon-tinged approach on their latest single, Fleece may be a little less heady, but they’re opening up their sound at the same time. Here their guitars pop like twinkling stars in the mi, rather than overpower the overall energy, creating a soft dance charge that helps push its question to the forefront. The pacing serves the story too, asking you to take your time and really focus on things. The mix of lo-fi and crisp tones also provide a great contrast within the song, highlighting the band’s dichotomy aesthetics-wise. Though perhaps not their most distinct song, this will certainly help pull ears to Fleece that will eat up their other material.
Though often bringing a cloudier and nature-infused sound, Lord Huron don’t pigeonhole themselves. It’s a record that is as pop-heavy as it is heady, and it’s all the better for that versatility. “Looking Back” feels like wandering a dense, foggy and cold forest, which in turn reveals itself to lyrically be a reflection of our own memories, and how they can trap us. Despite retaining the hazy qualities, “Bag of Bones,” has a more upbeat, cocky cowboy charge to it that makes it a joy to put on repeat. The sunny tones snowball into a true bonfire on “Nothing I Need,” as Lord Huron let the momentum guide the song, as they sing harmony after melody after brash crash of noise, for a delicious summer track. With Kristen Stewart reading poetry that sounds like a Cronenberg-meets-Clive Barker descent into cosmic madness, “Who Laughs Last” switches to full pop rock, with cigarette-laden, dark neon rock calling you to get lost in the shuffle.
In its time-warped world, “Abigail” sees Afternoon Bike Ride painting in vibrant, and echo-drenched hues. The drums are their own frenetic beast in this track, ricocheting off the walls, while pianos bounce through the song like raindrops. The vocals playfully cut through it all, like gusts pushing a curtain and then fading off. The song itself is lost in time trying to capture the sense of what happened with someone close, looking at the past, where you are now and what could be, as the track itself bleeds in so many modulated tones that you feel like the song itself is coming from all possible points in time as well.
Always baked in a retro feel, Natalie Bergman continues to successfully navigate the tightrope of nostalgia and individuality. Though not always distinct in some of the writing, Bergman creates such a mood on this record that the world is all hers. There’s an instant charm to the vintage romantic sound on “Lonely Road,” as it masters not only the overall tone, but the little bells and way to make the guitars and cymbals ring out to bring us to a different era and mind space. The charge and determination on “Gunslinger” lets the melodies and groove soar, as Bergman slow rolls the roar here, and lets the hooks worm into your ears in good time, and lets the feel catch you first. With the static crackling in “Dance,” Bergman hits a riff and rhythm high, as every hook and end of the bass just sends the song higher, and the response vocals just take it that much further. Emerging from its smoky energy, “Looking For You” has a more classic love ballad tone, but sets its own footprint through Bergman’s unique vocal timbres and those organ tones.
Click here for more music reviews from Owen Maxwell.
