Leggy
Cincinnati's Leggy are one of those bands I've discovered thanks to "six degrees of Twitter separation" (where everyone on Twitter is interconnected by a mere half-a-dozen 'follows' or less from one another). Anyway, the 'follow' in question was the result of hearing "Peach" from their EP "Nice Try" and then raving about it in 140 characters... It's the kind of song that makes you want to bounce around the room while falling hopelessly in love with as good a collection of top-notch and crazily addictive indie-pop that has been released this year (it also caused an overwhelming desire to stump-up for last year's "Cavity Castle.")
But first some introductions. Leggy are Chris Campbell behind the drums, Kerstin Bladh on bass and Véronique Allaer on guitar - owner of a voice that is as dangerous as a fine margarita - deceptively sweet, but with the kick of a mule.
"Peach" hits you in the solar plexus with rib-crushing bass before winding-up and launching into a riot of 100 mph guitars, pummelled drums and Véronique's distinctive wail bemoaning falling in love when you're seemingly already in love - although this love is dangerous and fun, as opposed to 'safe' - I suspect that deep down she doesn't care, girls aren't necessarily sugar and spice and all things nice; "...I had a boyfriend and when we kissed, it was sweet, like eating a peach, I met another, I couldn’t eat couldn’t sleep..." And then about two-thirds through the song slows as deeply resonant bass, fuzzy, distorted guitars and vocals as the song literally drips with a sexual tension and ferocity; "...I saw his handsome face, I never should’ve looked in his eyes, His leg once brushed my leg, I let him rest his gaze on my thighs ..."
"Peach" fuzzes out and fades into "Grrrls like us" and a song whose outlook is cooler than the inside of an industrial freezer; "...There are plenty of fish in the sea, But girls like us don’t grow on trees... states Véronique in a disarmingly matter of fact way. There's a pulsating bass groove (tips hat in the direction of Kerstin Bladh) that permeates throughout the delicious mélange of surf-rock meets punk crashes into a straight-up R&B groove, all the while her (too die for - seriously) vocal inflections make sure you hang on to every word that is rhythmically spat-out during the song's sexually-ambivalent verses. The song is obviously written from a woman's perspective - but it ain't sweet and demure - these girls wear laced-up boots and don't take shit from anybody...
Now I'm not really up on my Greek and Roman mythology, but trust me, "Adonis" possesses one of those ridiculously infectious hooks that not only drills straight through your skull (that'll be the metronomic drum beat then) and - like the worst hangover ever - you can't shake it. Even more 'annoyingly' humming along to it, I find myself veering off on a tangent into a tune that's on the tip of my tongue... And that's part of the beauty of listening to Leggy - they borrow from those hidden recesses of your musical memory, jumble everything-up and then add a dash of "je ne sais quoi" (or however they pronounce it Cincinnati) to create something remarkably fresh. Take for instance the verses' deceptively simple rhyming couplets that launches straight into a glorious soaring refrain; "...Just as Paris chose Aphrodite, I think this may end very very poorly, But come here babe, you know I think you're charming, And our 20s aren't for playing safe..." - arguably everything you want in a song can be found in these 2'13"... So of course the first thing "A reverie" hits you with is another solid hook - this time all distorted bass, guitar and yet more like-clockwork percussion that's so precise you could set your watch by it. There's an almost ethereal, breathless quality to the vocals which perfectly capture the mood of the song's lyrics.
It seems that the Blogosphere has picked-up on "HHS 2" (as in "High heel shoes 2" - the second pair?) as this EP's 'best track.' Lyrically it's every parents' nightmare - as in a similar vein to "Peach" - the song is all about being hopelessly in love with the neighbourhood 'wrong 'un.' While I'm more of a music-fits-a-mood type of person, make no mistake this song is highly addictive (i.e. fun) and I'm already sold on the sugary-sweet "Oohs" and "Whay-hays" that leads into sing-along chorus. HHS 2" again encapsulates everything you want to hear in a song - light, frothy and featuring a spot-on chugging guitar riff - it's not only an instant indie-pop classic but quite probably a mosh fave (which I hope to discover for myself the next time the trio venture back to the warmer climes of LA).
"July" closes the EP with yet another throbbing and fuzzed bass riff and yet more rhyming couplets; in another nod to "Adonis" the lyrics delve into the realms of mythology; "...Your hair was glowing golden and yr skin was bronze, Just like I imagine Paris, When he first met Helen, so how can this be wrong??" To all intents and purposes "July" is a summary song - full of imagery of wholesome apple pie, plucked petals, bronzed skin and bare thighs - musically there's a far darker and heavier under-current, the vocals are at times deliberately washed and muddied, as if a heavy dose of hindsight has forever tarnished those seemingly innocent memories. "July" is perhaps the most ambitious track here and one that augers well for both Leggy and our futures.
"Nice Try" is a glorious celebration of state-of-the-art indie home-brew. As I've already hinted, the band have borrowed snippets from a wide range of genres - punk, garage-rock, a touch of grunge and indie-pop - all stirred very well to create an EP where every song - resplendent with knock-out hooks that compete to outdo one another - sounds both reassuringly familiar yet always original.
Seriously Leggy tick all the right boxes - those of you who stumble across this blog from time to time will have already ascertained that the combination of jangly guitars and female vocals makes me go weak at the knees... Listening to both "Nice Try" and "Cavity Castle" have turned my joints to jelly. In an interview Véronique and Chris hint at the band dropping their debut album next year. In the meantime the band have pencilled in a new EP - "DANG" to which the storming "Lana" (and a reference to Lana Del Rey) serves as a teaser - one that on the basis of everything they've released so far suggests is going to to be appearing in 2016's retrospective...
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