An EP of this quality doesn’t come by every day. “Our Monster” is beautifully, listenably addictive. All soft-hearted chaps like me and all good ladies should make it their new close friend before the impulse floats away among the promises of an early spring.
If you have the inner confidence to know how much you love REINDEER SECTION’s “Son Of Evil Reindeer” or NOTWIST’s “Neon Golden” you will have no problem clicking enough internet buttons to have Our Monster slipping politely through your letterbox.
SMDGE has a wider range of source materials in his inspiration, so while I can make those banal comparisons, the music is in no way beholden to other people’s ideas.
At heart it’s voices with electronica and (in a lustrous tailpiece) gorgeously recorded strings.
From the first breathy syllable of “Hello Hello Hello” to that closing orchestral intensity all flows with perfect grace and positive intelligence. The sequencing is perfect. I have found it very hard to stop myself playing it on repeat, savouring the shifts of texture and sound and being swept along by gently robust tunes.
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Cambridge-dwelling, unsigned, SMDGE was taken up by SPARKLEHORSE for a few gigs on the recent UK tour when early support plans had gone awry. The affinity with MARK LINKOUS’s softer side is clear, but SMDGE has a bit less of the alt-country boy and rather more of the elite pop perfectionist on this EP.
Confirm your emotional hopes via myspace if you feel the need. If it's offered, listen to "Awake For Nothing".
www.smdge.com
www.patchedupbutstillmelting.com
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