CHERUBS – Paper cut moon (Cargo CD)
Posted: March 29th, 2006, by Simon MinterMaybe it’s just gaps in my musical education, or a listless, lazy and badly-thought-through response on my part, but much indie-mainstream-guitar music released right now seems drenched in Echo & the Bunnymen influences. Cherubs have that band’s spooky, echoed vocals, sweeping guitars and lush melodies in spades, but I’m happy to say that they also have a certain something that sets them apart. It could be that they’re aping the past so accurately that I’m fooling myself into memories of times gone by… but it could as much be that on ‘Paper cut moon,’ this single’s title track, and to a lesser extent on the other tracks here, there are enough great little turns of musical phrase – a major-to-minor key change here, a lovely Marresque guitar corner there – to suggest that Cherubs are at least able to put a good song together. In the current musical climate of identikit, style-over-content ‘indie’ bands, that counts for more than may be a good thing. But it counts for something, at least.
Simon Minter
Simon joined diskant after falling on his head from a great height. A diskant legend in his own lifetime Simon has risen up the ranks through a mixture of foolhardiness and wit. When not breaking musical barriers with top pop combo Sunnyvale Noise Sub-element or releasing records in preposterously exciting packaging he relaxes by looking like Steve Albini.
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