I don't like cricket. Oh no. I love it. But what about Deep Cricket Night? The cover gives away very little indeed, but I'm a sucker for white on black with a Times New Roman font. Besides this, details are sparse. The band describe this as an EP, but with 8 tracks, I’d say it qualifies it as an album. But the fact that the tracklisting includes a cover of Echo and the Bunnymen's classic 'The Killing Moon' certainly piqued my interest.
Oh, the disappointment! Country-tinged college rock with a violin and some particularly thin and slightly nasal vocals bursts forth from my speakers. They sound quite happy and rather excited to be making this song, but alas, the enthusiasm's not infectious.
But wait! Perhaps I misjudged this record. The opener is something of a decoy, and paves the way for more fragile, melancholic acoustic guitar-led songs punctuated with some brooding cello that adds both atmosphere and depth that are actually quite affecting in places, and the vocals – vaguely reminiscent of The Black Angels – become less nigglesome after a degree of exposure. Track 4, 'Through the Arches' is particularly moody, and features a dissonant ascending riff that's really quite gripping.
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And what of the aforementioned cover: is it as good as the original? Or the version Pavement recorded for their ‘Major Leagues’ EP? No. It's not a radically different treatment, but stripped of the twelve-string intricacies, the clanging chord that follows the line 'killing time' and the riff in the mid-section, it's sadly lacking. But that said, it's still not bad. It's a great song anyway, and this recording is clearly affectionately done.
Closer, 'Pretty How Town' is a country-edged stomper, with gruff, brawling vocals and a swagger that evokes 'Roadhouse Blues' and works well.
So do I love Deep Cricket Night? Not yet, but this is a rounded and interesting release, and one that definitely has the potential to be a grower.
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