White Rabbits - The Salesman (Tramp Life)

  by Tara McEvoy

published: 13 / 9 / 2010

Label: Mute Records
Format: CDS

intro

Thought-provoking and hoepfully breakthrough new single from New York-based indie pop act, the White Rabbits

Far from the rumbling percussion and thinly-concealed rage which propelled White Rabbits to fame, latest single ‘The Salesman (Tramp Life)’, with its pounding, off-kilter bass, heavy reverb and intricate drums, is a slowly building marvel. With Britt Daniel featuring on production duties, the band have done nothing to dispel talk of similarities with Spoon, yet the ravaged, anguished vocal, surprising tenderness and vulnerability, do more to strengthen this argument than anyone they’ve drafted into the studio. Lyrics, too, such as the pained, pleading refrain "Just recognize me", offer a real glimpse into the isolation and desperation, as lead singer, Stephen Patterson, wails, "I act like a man, but I’m living like a dog" in an uncanny approximation of true despair. In all - a thought-provoking, charming song, lacking, perhaps, the strength and momentum of work such as ‘Percussion Gun’. Yet this is not to say that a change of direction has been a bad thing for White Rabbits – ‘The Salesman’, sees the emergence of a more introspective, reflective band. "You’re looking right through me", sings Patterson. With any luck, this will be the song that, all too deservedly, focuses the spotlight on the band, and sees them recognized as the true talents they are.

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