I'm not sure what is going on
in my head but 2006 has seen me take up quite a fascination with indie pop.
I would like to think that my excuse is the volume of great material that
has come out but I'm not sure that is solely the reason. I think my
admiration for such a large amount of it may be because of how many artists
there are putting little unique twists on the genre. Sure, it is
entirely plausible that this has been going on for years and I never noticed
but I like to think that this has just been a stellar year for the genre.
Earlier this week a band by the name of The Positions popped up in my inbox
to reassure me that my assumption is correct, there are just a lot of people
doing really neat and creative takes on the genre. If you have ever
wondered what Camera Obscura would sound like with horns then keep reading.
:The Positions - Bliss!:
I'm not sure if I am a bigger sucker for the horns in this song or Nicole
Stoops' vocals. Both are equally delightful but if I had to pick it
would be the vocals because I love the retro-pop sound that they possess.
Don't think though that the fabulous Nicole takes anything away from Chris
Guryan (trombone), Ken Hammann (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ivan Ramsical
(guitar), Armin Pruessner (bass), and Reid Dossinger (drums) because each of
them contribute their own retro styles into the mix to help create the
band's great sound. Bliss! is the perfect title for this track
and it this is more than adorable, even the band knows it when Nicole sings
"I don't know why you even try to resist."
:The Positions - Back To Me:
For some reason I feel like this song should have been in one of those 80's
teen movies. That is not necessarily a bad thing and I actually think
that this song is better then at least 71% of what came out of that decade.
Nicole turns up the retro-pop vocals a notch here and the rest of the band
delivers a more subtle sound. Upbeat like Bliss! or subtle like
Back To Me, The Positions make it work and have me hooked. Listen
up around the 2:18 mark when my favorite part kicks in.
The Positions debut, Bliss!, for
Lazyline Records is available now and as always make sure to
visit them on
Myspace.
-
John Laird -
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