Artist: Big Deal
Album: June Gloom
Bitrate: 259kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Mute
Genre: Indie
Size: 95.70 megs
PlayTime: 0h 49min 23sec total
Rip Date: 2013-06-06
Store Date: 2013-05-31
Track List:
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01. Golden Light 4:02
02. Swapping Spit 3:18
03. In Your Car 3:47
04. Dream Machines 3:02
05. Call And I'll Come 3:20
06. Teradactol 4:09
07. Pristine 4:20
08. Pillow 5:13
09. Catch Up 3:37
10. Little Dipper 3:46
11. PG 4:53
12. Close Your Eyes 5:56
Release Notes:
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When you name your band Big Deal, you can elicit one of two responses: either
people will think that you are, in fact, a really big deal, or you might get
something sarcastic like, ôEh, big deal!ö Thankfully, the duo of California-born
Kacey Underwood and LondonÆs Alice Costelloe fall more squarely into the former
camp than latter thanks to the big, meaty alterna rock hooks on their sophomore
release June Gloom. (Which is, yes, being cheekily released in the month of
June.) This record is actually a departure for the group: 2011Æs debut, Lights
Out, was recorded with just electric and acoustic guitars backing the dewy
male-female vocals. June Gloom, on the other hand, is the sort of record that
could have been written on a single beat-up guitar, but the sound has been
expanded to include drums and bassùso Underwood and Costelloe are pretty much a
full band sort of deal these days. That would be fine in and of itself, but Big
Deal has some killer songs to bring to the table this time, the sort of things
that nestle comfortably into your ear, hang up a hammock, turn on a small light,
and crack open a good book. Which is to say, these songs linger and stay awhile,
even though the odd one will, if not have you reaching for Cults comparisons,
leave you with the impression of having heard something familiar.
Indeed, thereÆs familiarity to be found in the 12 cuts that make up June Gloom
and none is more pronounced than the intro to single ôIn Your Carö: the opening
riff wholeheartedly steals the opening stuttered guitar notes of the CarsÆ
seminal ôJust What I Neededö. Ric Ocasek would probably be penning a cease and
desist letter, if not for the fact that the song quickly swerves off the road
and becomes something other than just a clone of a great late æ70s power pop
gem. With the purring boy-girl vocalsùUnderwood sounds as remarkably laconic as
the dude from Marcy Playgroundùthe song is a simple, fist-in-the-air, driving
(literally and figuratively) anthem. But thatÆs not all thatÆs great about June
Gloom. ôTeradactolö has a shoegazey tone to it with fuzzed out guitars, and IÆm
sure Underwood and Costelloe are writing a check and sending a bottle of wine to
My Bloody Valentine for inspiration. However, the song is more than a carbon
copy of a MBV track: the vocals are pushed to the fore, and the song actually
starts and stops to collect its breath. ôCall and IÆll Comeö, with its twangy,
jangly guitar line, catches a particular Californian wave, and, if all goes
according to plan, IÆm sure it will be dominating radio playlists when the sun
is at its apex this summer, when youÆre lying on a beach somewhere with a
portable radio, nursing some suntan lotion to block the harmful UV rays.
Meanwhile, ôPillowö has a menacing slink: it crawls up behind you, taps you on
the shoulder and gives you a great big wallop on the cheek. ItÆs invigorating,
even though the couple coo ôI donÆt know what you needö on the song. Well, you
practically need this since itÆs so darn catchy. ôLittle Dipperö, meanwhile,
jettisons the full band arrangement of most of the rest of the album (ôPristineö
is also another song in this laid-back, just guitars and heavenly vocals vein)
and becomes quite the quiet and lilting lullaby. ôDonÆt goö, the couple pleads
here, and IÆm totally on board with that. You just donÆt want the chilled out
vibe to end. And, perhaps the very best thing is at the very end of the album:
the six-minute anthem (for a 17-year-old girl) ôClose Your Eyesö has a
particularly lonesome quality to it, with just an easily strummed lazy guitar
until the song reaches a climax and explodes into a thrilling maelstrom of
metallic shimmer. You can practically break out the glitter for this song, which
is an electrifying conclusion to an already great record.
June Gloom is really an album thatÆs mostly killer, little fillerùpretty much
all to be found here is engaging and winsome, and oneÆs appreciation for the
record grows with repeated listens. However, if thereÆs one thing IÆm not sure
of, itÆs that June Gloom feels more like a collection of songsùreally great
songs, grantedùand less like a robust album that hangs together as an artistic
statement. June Gloom is kind of a singles collection to a point, but the good
news is that just about everything is of solid quality and provides a sunny,
breezy concoction that you can just lay back and enjoy. A candid confession to
make here: I actually listened to this disc while pursuing some online personal
ads, and the lush male-female vocals and hooky hooks provided the perfect
soundtrack to such a wistful activity. So perhaps my judgement might be clouded,
but this album exudes the feeling of hope and promise: that there might be
someone right for you out there, despite all of the pitfalls of being in a
long-term relationship that this record seemingly points out. ôWhat if no one
else cares?ö sings Costelloe on ôCall and IÆll Comeö, as though she might be
slightly worried about public reaction to this. Rest assured: based on the
evidence here, thereÆs an awful lot to care about with the carefree, easy-going
sounds of June Gloom, with almost nary a gray cloud in sight. As the title
suggests, this is a perfect summery album that combines the wet feel of
unpredictable English weather with the airy, breezy feel of something born out
of California. It is, in a word or two, a pretty big deal; itÆs excellent.