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I know the world is creatively a tiny place, that ideas and inspirations criss-cross the planet in no time at all, and that there is so much music out there that much of it being infused and absorbed subliminally, and that artists might not even be fully aware of where their influences come from. But I still find it amazing when bands come along that sound like the sort of British indie band that filled my record collection back in my formative 80’s days. Bands like The Icicle Works,The Lilac Time or Prefab Sprout. I find it even more amazing when the band that reminds me so much of such iconic and quintessentially British acts is from Atlanta, GA. and is found very much in the here and now. (US readers looking for more homegrown reference points might opt for The Gigolo Aunts, if that helps.
“The Real Thing” is one of those songs that gets called indie music or even pop, but which is actually better than such terms can even hint at. Those labels don’t come close to describing the deft, shimmering peels of guitars, the ambiance and lush ethereality, the jangle-pop grooves, or the sheer infectiousness of the music.
For me, pop music has always been the ultimate musical form. Despite what it has since become—a low-rent, low-brow, low common denominator style-over-substance expression—songs like “The Real Thing” and bands such as “Secret Towns” are really keeping its flame alive. (Even if the genre has long since debased itself for a quick buck and a throwaway format.)
This is the sound of pop past, but also perhaps what pop could be again. What pop must be again. “The Real Thing” might be that tiny flake of snow that starts a whole new musical avalanche of quality, mature, infectious popness. You can but hope.
