Bows - Cassidy

by Chris Jones

published: 11 / 3 / 2002

Label: Too Pure
Format: CD

Second album from drum 'n' bass act the Bows which takes "elements of trip-hop, dream-pop, and drum'n'bass and fuses them together perfectly" to create a sound which is reminiscent of both MBV and Roni Size

Review

Year end top 10 lists aren't really something I pay much attention to anymore and I really can't say why that is the case. I don't really pay much attention to reviews anymore either, which is sort of ironic since here I am writing a review. Well, this CD alone may give me more than ample reason to reconsider all that. It was via a top 10 list that I heard about this CD and the review that accompanied the list made me track down the CD. To be honest, I was more than ready to be disappointed in this CD, as the review said something along the lines of "...sounds like MBV remixed by Roni Size...." I was prepared to be disappointed not because I didn't like what that could sound like, but because I doubted that the album would really sound like that. I mean, MBV gets referenced more than the Encyclopedia Brittanica and the 'New Forms' CD tends to be the only Roni Size music (and maybe even the only DnB) most indiepop kids have even heard. Both are easy references that are also fairly vague, so I figured it was a 50/50 propositon at best. Still, that's better odds than you'll get at a casino and you can even get 70% of your money back if you return the CD within 7 days! The review I read didn't mention who was in the Bows and it wasn't until I heard the male vocals in track 4 that I checked the liner notes. I was compelled to check because the guy singing sounded very familiar and I had been wondering where he had disappeared to. The guy singing was indeed Luke Sutherland and anyone who was into indierock in the mid-90's should recognize that name. His previous band Long Fin Killie obtained a high level of praise from the music press, but were never able to parlay that into much musical success. LFK's music really sounded like no one else's at the time and Luke Sutherland had a lot to do with that. LFK broke up around 1998 and Sutherland formed the Bows in 1999 along with singer Signe Hoirup Wille-Jorgensen. 'Cassidy' is actually the second Bow's release following 1999's 'Blush' - an album I've yet to hear at this point. The music on 'Cassidy' takes elements of trip-hop, dream-pop, and drum'n'bass and fuses them together perfectly. The album had the same effect on me as when i first heard Bowery Electric's 'Beat' - an album that remains one of my favourites. The songs on 'Cassidy' have a smoothness, a lushness to them that is quite incredible. Whereas many pop-artists who add electronic elements to their music do it in such a way that the music sounds "electronic", the Bows are able to maintain a very organic sound. The synth tones are pure dream-pop - almost ambient at times. The guitars range from minimal, echoed notes to full on walls of fuzz, and the beats are big and clean just like they should be. I found myself liking the songs with Sutherland doing the vocals a bit more, though my favourite song on the album is sung by Jorgensen. The song 'Wonderland' is easily one of the best pop meets beats / mellow DnB songs I've heard. And when I say mellow DnB, i'm thinking the track 'Phone Call' by Klute which is one of the best drum'n'bass meets pop songs I've heard. Jorgensen's vocals have this great quality to them that I can only describe as "retro-cool". Since I'm not even sure what that means, I'll say that this is also how I would describe the vocals on Broadcast's 'Noise Made by People' album. The song begins with this tremoloed guitar sound that made me think of some island paradise and then switches to a beat dominated dreamy sound. Those two styles alternate throughout the track until it finally ends with a minute or so of fuzzed out guitar lushness. The Sutherland fronted 'Uniroyal' is another standout track that has an old-skool jungle feel to the beat and big washes of synth / guitar. Sutherland's voice maintains that whispery, seductive quality that he gave to many LFK tracks. Everything on these songs just blends together so well. How I didn't hear about this album before really surprises me. Then again, maybe Sutherland is one of those people who is destined to live on the periphery where his creative energy is allowed the space to expand to it's full potential. With this album, I think Sutherland has found a style that allows him to combine as many or as few elements as he wants and he does so in an effortless and quite beautiful way. Is it "MBV remixed by Roni Size"? There are hints of both, but it goes far beyond that.

Track Listing:-

1 Luftsang
2 Cuban Welterweight Rumbles Hidden Hitmen
3 Man Fat
4 Ali 4 Onassis
5 Uniroyal
6 B Boy Blunt
7 Wonderland
8 Dj
9 Blue Steeples
10 Hey Vegas
11 Sun Electric
12 Ton Ten All The Way Home