This one up today is a part of the Odd Boxes singles club available just over the pond for a darn reasonable pittance of 25 pounds. They're keeping costs down relatively so they could go after these great pop splits for the whole year, and this one continues in this long line of exposing this next generation of underground indie pop. I'm talking about Bunnygrunt, Tullycraft and the Swirlies, those groups that will unleash a sort of in-your-face-fun, experimental pop. An overseas Slumberland, Odd Box is unabashedly pushers of the sweet, melodic pop...TO THE EXTREME.
The Gold-Bears are making a pretty dense, out of control tempo, hyper sound, like Into the Void, on this opener "You don't want a boyfriend". It's an overwhelming blinking neon, blinding technicolor roller coaster in a defeatist kind of attitude, narrator rejection. The layers of vocal and distortions building up higher, mix into a high treble sheen, exaggerated like a cheap needle from a portable player. I swear there's even a full track length squeal of high tinny feedback. It's bouncing pop crafted from peeling back the layers of tonal distortion...and it's quick, this is a rocker. The dual guy/girl vocal with the line 'Don't wanna boyfriend' is working in that awful/awesome way that indie pop can make the catchiest most uplifting song about being alone. (Damn you!) Now go back and listen again and debate. Great.
This second track, "Bedroom" they take a deep breath because they're about to freaking go off...this one has more of those behind the scenes feedback tracks...I would love to see a video of whoever gets to lay those down. In front of the wall of tiny marshall stacks and 9 volt batteries. This one has a great demo sound to it. Those unaffected vocals which play with this shoegaze pop wall perfectly...almost like, we put these vocals down as a scratch track and you know what? They're pretty much perfect. They're right.
The out of nowhere depths of the earth feedback layers build to overdriven blow out the speakers blurts and I feel for whoever had to master this, this last part must have driven the lathe cutter insane. Another example of GOld-Bears pushing the limits of every single piece of these two tracks into pop stratosphere's...the melodies, the layers and then invoking a distortion the likes of which no one has ever attempted...and in a two minute pop song. Nice going again. I'm going to have to go pick up their full length on Slumberland.
NOW I remember this single from Magic Marker, I wasn't sure it was the same guys, but I figured with Odd Box lately going after the indiest of pop, it makes perfect sense.
The other side from the The Bracelettes, happen to be a UK based trio of ladies who start this off with a plinky ukulele, a quiet opening that doesn't get you ready for the blasted Scott Pilgrim style '50s sounding throwback pop. They're going the way of the Vivian Girls, with an (anti?) Shannon and the Clams breathy vocal. All the girl group conventions are present; lots of reverb, ooooo's, all done with a blindingly shiny, polished temperament on "Those Days".
"You Make Me Laugh" has a jangle guitar and bass punchy combo as a bubbly foundation for more of these almost cartoon vocals, so ridiculously catchy with the title lyric repeated in so many pitch breaking harmonic ways...
Check out these glittery piles of tinsel on the Odd Box player and go pick up a subscription from 2011, heard a new one is in the works for this year.
ODD024
Gold-Bears - You Don't Want A Boyfriend / Bedroom
Bracelettes - Those Days / You Make Me Laugh
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