Things In Herds
I Can Dancing And Walking
(G Folk)
Things In Herds is essentially the work of one person (Pete Lush) and although he seems primed for bigger fame in the future, his releases up to this point have been as indie as they come. That's not to say, of course, that they're shoddy in any way. This 10 track, 35-minute album is quite a nice little release that mixes several different genres together into a nicely produced disc that mixes a touch of Blur, Grandaddy, and Badly Drawn Boy together for some lo-fi British indie rock fun.
Although the two primary elements on the songs of this release are the acoustic guitar and the vocals of Lush (which actually sound somewhat like Nick Drake on the quieter tracks), there are also some additions on other tracks like funky drum machine beats and electronics. Actually, the album runs almost half and half in terms of quieter, acoustic numbers, and ones with some sort of rhythm backing. The two styles never seem to fight for space on the short release, either, as they're spaced nicely and elements from one track mix into slightly different ones in the next.
The disc opens up with the jaunty track "Always Disappear," and clunks along with an electronic beat while what sounds like a theremin and guitar provide the rest of the instrumentation while Lush croons along. Things get a little more reflective on the next two tracks. "Please Don't Put Out The Light" has only a backing of acoustic guitar and some very subtle tones for a backing and it fits the more introspective track nicely while "Too Happy..." takes the same route in terms of instrumentation to back up the sad track (sarcasm with title noted).
The rest of the album is split nearly down the middle with upbeat tracks and ones that take a more reflective side. "Now We Slide" sounds like the sequel to "Coffee and TV" from Blur's 13 album while "The People Trap" mixes drum machine beats and some screwy keyboard sounds into a catchy backdrop for what would probably be a radio hit in the UK if more people heard it. Basically, don't try to make sense of the Engrish sounding title of the release, just know that this is a fine release by an artist who will hopefully catch some more ears in the future. If you like some of the aforementioned artists, definitely give this release a look, as it's quite well put-together.
Rating: 7.5
