I found the Daisies album (released on June 28th, co-release by K Records and Perennial) recommended to me on Bandcamp (bless them): the description and image were instantly appealing. Upon hearing “Anyone’s Style” my first reactions were : “What the hell is this?” and “This is great!” at the same time. The style is hard to sum up but quite easy to place: think of a blend of twee-pop, triphop, and indie with psychedelic and experimental elements thrown in. A Saint Etienne on acid, DJ Shadow in a dress, an offbeat Dubstar? I hear the underground sound of the 90’s pass in all colours in modes and I am liking it. The avant-pop project Daisies is comprised of Chris McDonnell (CCFX, TransFX), David Jaques (CCFX, CC DUST) and singer Valerie Warren. Their own description of their sound might even be more mystifying than mine:
“Clean pop for a new morning
Like Sugar cubes in your tea.
Waking up bleary in a poster dress
A Paisley electronic underground
A sonic marriage
Something borrowed something blue for love purity and fidelity and another spite to the evil eye
Knot-tieing in sweet pop confections put a daisies in your ear and a sixpence in your shoe”
The very brief opener on the album “What Are You Waiting For?” instantly brings back Orbital‘s “Are We Here“: yes, the song that featured Alison Goldfrapp way before she became a supernova. Valerie‘s vocals here, as in most songs, create a tension between eerily naive and expansive soulfully seductive. The ending is just goosebumps! “Just Yesterday” is definitely “I’m Not So Manic Now” (Dubstar) from outer space with a sweeping dubby chorus: synthesising layers of echoey swirling vocals, a chill Rhodes piano, a fat bass, and some electro madness. “Anyone’s Style” is a psychotic symphony, gliding along a smooth bass-line and suspended by delayed interference that make the song sound/feel like a deranged nouvelle vague edit.
“True Absolute Fiction” brings back memories of the late 90’s lounge/triphop scene à la Thievery Corporation blended with some old-school techno rave. The gorgeous, very aptly named “ok, ok!” is lush serenity and a welcome break from the sonic extravaganza and “Keep It Movin’” rounds off the kaleidoscopic experience with a looping quote from Martin Luther King ( “If you can’t fly then run… but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward”) wrapped up in a Saint Etienne groove and jazzed up with some reverse tape effect. I do realise it is a lot to take in and hard to get an idea, but there’s a remedy for that. Go Listen! I hear a lot of newly released music every day and I hardly ever hear anything that stands out from the rest (apart from Knower), but I have to say, despite all the clear references to 90’s indie, this is the most original and probably best album I have heard this year! The spirit of Siesta and El records recaptured…
