Real Deal

While retaining an overriding sound consistent with contemporary London post-punk, former Speedy Wunderground roster members Honeyglaze tilt the balance of their particular take on it from the sophisticated, jazzy indie pop of their debut toward (also previously explored) 90s and 2000s emo, math rock, and progressive rock on the moodier Real Deal, their Fat Possum debut. Although named for its title track, Real Deal was recorded live in the studio with Grammy-nominated producer Claudius Mittendorfer (Ash, White Lies). While the band cited a long, varied list of influences on their updated sound (Scott Walker, the Zombies, Warpaint, and more), Pinback and American Football were highlighted as a "mood" during recording sessions -- and moody it is. Having said that, its singer and songwriter Anouska Sokolows engaging, spoke-sung recitations that are the focus and defining component of Real Deal, which gets off to a proggy start with "Hide." The songs sinuous bass and guitar lines are interrupted by occasional blasts of rhythmic, unison rock in between lines like "I can hide behind the melody/And catharsis comes too easily." The sets relentless self-examination and increasing self-loathing and alienation continue across tracks including "Cold Caller," in which she wants to stay on the line for the company, the resigned "TMJ," named for the jaw-joint disorder, and the periodically grungy "Safety Pins," which has Sokolow barely holding it together through heartache and the march of time by focusing on organizing and chores. Also throughout Real Deal, her locked-in accompaniment functions almost like a rock score, prioritizing the emotional peaks and valleys of her words while delivering simple hooks and emphatic punctuation, so it seems appropriate when the album closes on a song called "Movies," an over-six-minute, episodic track in which the vocalist longs for escape from both the world and from herself. ~ Marcy Donelson

ダン・キャリー主宰のスピーディ・ワンダーグラウンドからデビューしたロンドンの3人組の、ファット・ポッサムに移籍しての2枚目はポスト・パンク度がぐっとアップしている。そのうえでプログレを齧りつつ、マスロックにもアプローチ。ポリスを連想させるテクニカルな演奏が轟音と夢見心地のサウンドの狭間でキュートな歌声と共に彼らならではの個性をアピールしている。
bounce (C)山口智男