Towns have a music and rhythm of their own, an intangible influence that seeps into the songs of the people who make music there. Detroit had a hard-edged energy that came through in everything from proto-punk bands to its later techno scene. Similarly, in the UK, Sheffield’s music echoed the beat of the steel mills and steam presses. San Francisco’s 60s psychedelic bloom seemed woven out of the sunshine and love that epitomized the place and the time.
Think of Seattle, a place of overcast skies and sweeping landscapes beyond the skyline, and you think, perhaps, of a melancholy beauty, and an atmosphere and energy born of humility and grey horizons. And it is that sonic vibe which is found, to a degree, in the latest single from Shadowpool.
“Sixpence Logic” is a fascinating song for students of music history. There are faint hints of the heavier nineties sound of the region, but so too is there the same alternative groove that made the likes of R.E.M. such a unique proposition. Nor is the song a long way from many of the UK’s earlier post-punk pop bands…a more rock and roll take on Deacon Blue, perhaps?
However they get there, you can’t deny that it’s a great song. Blends of deft guitar riffs chime and charm, contrasting a slightly world-weary vocal; the beats are unfussily spot-on, and the whole thing is tinged with a sense of pathos, sadness even. A dark beauty indeed!
As a sonic herald for Deceptive Angels, an album that arrives almost immediately in the new year, it’s a great taste of what’s to come. I, for one, can’t wait.
