East Coast Defector
55
The Loneliness of
the Lightspeed
Astronaut
Review by Sarah Swinburne
The new single by East Coast
Defector is the latest release in a
lengthening campaign to raise the
profile of the Glasgow born band.
After the release of a charity EP for
the Nicola Murray Foundation at
the end of last year, their latest
single ‘The Loneliness of the
Lightspeed Astronaut’ is the
precursor for the full release of the
album later this year.
The rumbling, twangy bass line is
highly reminiscent of early Bad
Seeds or The Birthday Party, while
the muffled and reverbed vocals
could easily have come off a
Strokes record. The chorus then,
surprises
you
by
being
unexpectedly
tuneful
and
addictive. The single takes a
slightly different direction from
their EP, which is of a decidedly
more upbeat disposition, as is to be
expected for a charity release.
The EP consists of a curious
mixture of tracks. From the
country style festive song ‘Xmas at
Home’ (which includes a
harmonica solo), to the infinitely
catchy ‘Jess in a Flap’ and finally
to ‘The Refection (From the East)
Beach: Only Love’. The latter is a
synth pop song with classic
nineties drum and bass elements
(or ‘synth-noodle’ as it is rather
charmingly described). While
being a fine piece of music in its
own right, it does seem somewhat
at odds with the rest of East Coast
Defector’s output. The Glaswegian
accent, when it comes through,
adds a much-needed grassroots
flavour to an otherwise placeless,
nationless sound. It gives the
pertinent songs a strong foundation
and a sense of groundedness
amidst the experimental and highconcept quality of the other tracks.
East Coast Defector tends to rely
heavily on extensive intros and
outros, as well as on non-musical
interludes. While these are
certainly interesting during the first
listen, it is exactly the sort of thing
that tends to grate on the ear over
the course of an album.
‘Lightspeed Astronaut’ is the type
of song that grows on you with
each repeat.
If their album follows the same
vein as the single, it will be well
worth a listen.
Echo Sparks ‘Ghost Town Girl’
Review by Lauren O'Halleron
Echo Sparks is a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Don’t believe
me? Have a look at their website! Reared in Orange County, California, the
band describes its sound as “mexifolkabillyjazzbluesrock”, so make of that
what you will. Its members consist of D.A. Voldez on vocals, guitar and
drums, C.C. Kinnick on vocals, guitar, banjo, “gitanjo, autoharp and shakin’
it’., and Cindy Ballreich on “doghouse” bass (occasionally “cathouse” bass)
and mandolin. Like I said! The band is [allegedly] signed with Lleaping
Llama Records and considers its influences to be crazy people. Enough said!
The band’s independent, full-length album ‘Ghost Town Girl’ was released
on January 20th of this year. Given the creative biography of the band and its
kooky humour, one would expect the album to reflect it, but this is not the
case. Ghost Town Girl is a mixture of mellow and upbeat country tunes,
something to clap along to or to just sit and relax by the fire.
Many of the songs combine the vocals of both Voldez and Kinnick, with
just a few solos in between. Voldez’s vocals are deep and mellow in
comparison to Kinnick’s, and I often found myself wondering if I was
listening to Phil Collins because they are very similar. Kinnick, on the other
hand, has a more high-pitched voice, but not in the screeching sense. Her
voice is often heard above Voldez’s, with Voldez providing the undertones.
In songs such as ‘End of the Line’ and ‘Torch Song’, Kinnick is given a
chance to show off her vocals with long solos. Her potential is demonstrated
when she is not trying to match the pitch of Voldez. In ‘Torch Song’
especially, her voice reaches its full potential as she raises it up in a song that
reminds me a little of Rupert Everett. I can safely say that this is my favourite
song off the album.
The album is filled with clap-along tunes, and as such, ‘Shallow Water’
actually does end with applause. The band haven’t made their influences
clear, but I could hear a strong hint of the Everly Brothers in ‘Princess of
Fresno’, but whether they were considered “crazy people” in their heyday is
unknown to me.
Overall the album is that of the country genre: mellow tunes mixed with
upbeat, clap-along beats. The combined vocals do work and complement each
other, but it would be nice to see a few more solos, especially with Kinnick,
whose voice is almost restrained when she is forced to match up with Voldez.