Little Poems gets straight to the chase, with Marshall Burns’
vocal – lyrics lamenting the lack of true love in a relationship plagued by
drink – laid over the top of a slow, punctuated drum beat, a crunchy guitar and
a droning organ. Burns’ anguish is portrayed well through his havering voice,
and he carries a distinctly folky twang in the pocket of his Canadian
accentuation. Refreshingly, the thought behind this song is far from minced: “I’m
poor, drunk, scared of being alone, she loves her fun and gettin’ stoned.” Erin
Passmore’s counter-vocal, in a high, almost piercing range, provides a second
side to what is ultimately a well-woven story.
Musically, the
track isn’t revolutionary - it sounds fairly grungy and under-produced, as
though it were being performed as backing music in the corner of a bar. That’s
not to say the composition is lazy. They pull it off well: the layering is
superb and overall it sounds tight and together throughout – not an easy feat
for a group of six members. The style indicates a band who know their market;
the overall tone is too lo-fi to appease a mainstream audience, but avid
followers will know what they’re in for after two records. For those among
them, this single should not disappoint.
Little Poems isn’t exactly something Mr Young would put his name
to; it’s much too youthful, too spritely, and even the melancholy words on top
can’t suck the fun out of the music.
While it brings nothing new to the table, what it does bring is
definitely worthy of a spin.
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