Boyubetterrunnow

by

The Concretes

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At first, you are bound to feel like this album is following the huge trend in indie toward sounding pop. But there is something certainly deeper in this record than just following the general trend. Listening more closely to this record, you will realize the layers of organs, accordians, keyboards, violins, harmonicas underneath or on top of the languid reverb of vocals and guitars. The 60s pop sound of Teen Love doesn't last. When we get to Other Ones the sound of the band has already undergone a metamorphosis with droning, heavy, lyrics and beats that slowly move toward a dark crecsendo of reverb on vocals and harmonica--the guitars are on the verge of exploding with noise. It is simply beautiful. The seemingly unpolished melodies or the lightheartedness are only a front as you will soon discover. Sometimes it's as if Inger Lorre, or Gunga Din, decided to make music with Dirty Three, sometimes with Stereolab, or sometimes even with Elliot Smith. Comparisons aside, The Concrete are definitely a new sound in indie, who, more than anything, parody pop and later express the boiling emotions inside them through multiple layers and experimentation. It will be interesting to watch where this band goes after their promising debut.