Jase Dillan
Lovers +
Thieves
2.5
Review by Harry Moore
Cordelia & The Buffalo are an indie electronic
outfit consisting of members from America,
Mexico, Japan, Norway, Alaska and
Venezuela. They have recently released their
self titled six track EP which is a fusion of
indie and electro pop.
The EP opens with ‘Take It Up a Notch’, a
percussion and electro bass driven track which
features frequent chant-like vocal lines. ‘Dirt
On My Shoes’ is a standard, fast paced indie
rock focused track which includes swooning
lead guitars and vocals reminiscent of many
female pop punk bands. ‘Lather & Rinse’ is a
modern dramatic ballad featuring moody
guitars and synths and pelting dubstep style
drum patterns.
A heavily delayed guitar riff in the style of
The Temper Traps ‘Sweet Disposition’ opens
up the next track, ‘Hand Like Guns’. Once
again, the track is predominantly percussion
focused as it builds into another powerful indie
rock number. By the time that the fifth track,
‘7th Sea’, comes around, it feels as if it’s all
been done before.
There is little variety in the range of the
tracks, most of them following the same song
structure which eventually becomes tiring.
Catchy guitar riffs are galore and although
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they are technically sound, what truly lacks is
originality. ‘Free’, the final track on the EP is
certainly the most interesting of the bunch as
it comes in at just under four minutes (the
second shortest track on the EP) and manages
to pack a punch which keeps the audience
interested its duration. The track is catchy, fun
and is the essence of what Cordelia & The
Buffalo are trying to achieve.
The outfit is attempting to be as vibrant and
energetic as possible in all that they do. This
can be seen and heard both in their image and
sound. They are a band which consists of a
variety of cultures and this most definitely
transcends in to their music. Their music is full
of colour as a result of the wide range of
instruments and sounds used throughout the
EP, to the point that it is in fact a little
overwhelming. The exotic nature of the bands
sound is one that can be found in the likes of
Friendly Fires, Local Natives and Florence and
the Machine but the end result of Cordelia &
The Buffalo just falls a little short of the work
of their contemporaries.
You can hear the EP which was released in
January of this year over on their Soundclound
page. The EP can also be purchased digitally
and physically on their Bancamp page.
Review by Gemma Dennison
Boston based rock singer-songwriter Jase
Dillan has been making waves on the
International music scene receiving radio
airplay in over thirty countries. Her latest
offering ‘Lovers + Thieves’ is a captivating six
track debut EP. Brutally honest lyrics and
endearing vocals draw you in from the get-go
with Dillan taking the listener on a personal
journey of heartache and strength. One
dominant message is echoed throughout the
record “Lovers and thieves, they both steal
your heart, Lovers and thieves, they tear you
apart”.
The singer has experienced her fair share of
pain yet instead of drowning her sorrows,
bares her soul and pours her energy into her
music. She picks up the pieces of her past with
vigour and all six tracks reflect the good, the
bad and everything in between. The balance of
delicate, lofty notes followed by powerful,
husky tones portray a brave battle with what
life has thrown at her. Everyone can identify
with at least one if not all of the songs in some
way or another and you can’t help but admire
Dillan’s honesty and vulnerability. This is a
well-structured EP with lyrics, vocals and
]\