With layers of tropical dance rhythms, tribal dub and hazy vocals, High Places create what your iTunes will file away for you as Post-Modern Rock alongside the likes of Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear and Gang Gang Dance.
They are Mary Pearson and Rob Barber, a couple from different social backgrounds but with a shared musical aesthetic . He is from Philadelphia and she is from Michigan and they are now based in New York. Although theirs is a platonic relationship, they live together in a Brooklyn apartment.
Their sound is a pick and mix sonic collage , a process they neatly label as "audio scrapbooking". The duo's first album was made entirely at home made with beat up electronics and found sounds, utilizing any objects that came to hand - "It's hard to mix in a brown paper bag" noted Barber.
The band name references their mutual love of mountains and rooftops, vantage points from which to get a broader perspective on the world. As clean living, no smoking vegans, they talk in all earnestness about channelling the energy of the universe through their music. Their eponymously titled debut in 2008 came with the tagline "goodness as growth reflected in nature".
On a similar high minded theme, this follow up album explores what it means to be human and to interact with the rest of Mankind. The 'versus' of the title implies conflict but the ten songs here are melodic and reflective rather than being in any way confrontational.
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Pearson's voice give some tracks a floaty Cocteau Twins -like feel, especially on She's A Wild Horse or Canada. This means that they occasionally stray dangerously close to tweeness but, fortunately, a strong contrast is to be found with bass heavy dance-punk grooves, as on one of the best songs, Constant Winter.
There are also hints of Eno era Talking Heads and the duo give the impression of sharing the same nerdy curiosity about the world as David Byrne. Listen to charming nursery rhyme simplicity of On A Hill In A Bed On A Road In A House and you'll know what I mean. This sense of wide-eyed wonderment can also be heard on A Beautiful Name with lyrics about "Russian novel things" and staying up at night with a head full of memories.
Out of cluttered complexity, High Places emerge sounding fresh and harmonious. As one Last.Fm listener eloquently commented, the music they make is "a beautiful mess".
Irresistable!
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