Beverly

So if you've stumbled upon this blog before you should have a pretty good idea as to what tickles my musical tastebuds and so it's probably an understatement to suggest that I was frankly salivating with anticipation when this album was announced...

The first (and to be honest, only) time that I've seen Drew Citron she was the fulcrum of the wall of sound behind the sublime Miss Frankie Rose. So when it was announced that Drew and Frankie had formed a new project, Beverly, and as a teaser for the debut album "Careers" had released an absolute stonker of a track in "Honey do," I was hooked... all I had do was wait to be reeled in...

Released through Kanine (a label that appears to have an acutely attuned ear), "Careers" is a veritable tour-de-force of reverbed, fuzzy guitar lo-fi indie-pop; all fused to the most spot-on, note-perfect, harmonises. And while there's a healthy nod to Frankie Rose's "Herein Now" - there's also a sharper, grittier - focused - sound that has to be credited to Drew.

The opening track, "Madora" pretty much acts as a this album's manifesto - there's a pounding rhythm (courtesy of Frankie Rose), overlaid with those sumptuous distorted guitars (Ms. Citron, I presume?) and the most sumptuous, soaring - harmonious - of choruses.

The album shares a kindred spirit with contemporaries such Dee Dee Penny's Dum Dum Girls - especially the period bookended by the EP's "He gets Me High" and "End of Days", Katy Goodman's "La Sera" - and more than warrants casually dropping into conversation alongside The Breeders, the raw energy of Elastica's debut, the lo-fi genius of criminally under-rated Shop Assistants and post-punk Girls at Our Best! (especially on "Out on a ride.") 

The single "Honey do" is utterly majestic - there's a crescendo of guitar that literally drills into you skull; the girls' vocals are perfectly synchronised - rising and then inflecting on the chorus. For a moment you're transported back to the sound of those great 60's girl-groups before in an instant you're catapulted back to the present.

Take "Planet birthday" and the way that it opens to a wall of howling feedback - you half-expect the Reid Brothers to make a guest appearance here - the song is pure unbridled animalistic joy; or "You can't get it right", with it's chugging guitar riff and sing-along refrain... All further proof (if anywhere were still sadly needed) that quality music is indeed gloriously gender neutral

Lest you think that this album is all one (gorgeous) pace - think again. There are a trio of glorious slow-burners here as well - strategically placed to allow you to get your breath back - the haunting "Yale's life", with it's sweet guitar licks; the synthesiser-infused pop of "Hong Kong hotel" and the melancholic closer,"Black and grey", which slowly and deliberately boils to a crescendo of howling, distorted guitar.

However, I can't not mention the wondrousness that is "Ambular," a relentless barrage that would not be out of place in propelling those meisters of 80's industrial rock, Einstürzende Neubauten and Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft...

The ten tracks showcased here come in with a total running time of a tad under thirty minutes - however this is truly a case of 'less is indeed more' - the focus here is on quality and not quantity. This album encapsulates everything that music can be, should be...

"Careers" acts as the perfect counterfoil to Kanine stablemates Fear of Men's "Loom" - If you wanted to put a stake in the ground as to state-of-the-art contemporary guitar-fuelled indie-pop from across both sides of The Pond, you can't go far wrong with these two...

With Frankie concentrating on new solo material, Drew has picked up the baton and showcased Beverly on the East Coast. I'm hoping the Beverly Express makes it out West and not so secretly wishing that the pair get together to make some more great music...

Beverly Website
Beverly "Careers" (iTunes) (Kanine)