Late Of The Pier – Fantasy Black Channel

• 1st Aug 2008

Have you ever found yourself pondering the question; what would have happened had the Klaxons emptied a crate of Jack Daniels into their stomachs and decided to have a jamming session after they picked up last year’s Mercury Music Prize? Whilst, at the same time, sampling in a collection of the dingiest sounds that the likes of Bowie, CLOR, The Rezillos and Cut Copy could muster. Well, it is evident from the Nottingham four troupe, Late of the Pier’s debut album that they have been dedicated to the task of finding this out.

Samuel Dust’s demonstrative, at times falsetto climbing vocals are sparsely used, but impart a measure of quaintness to proceedings. He skips over the steady bass-lines that are provided with adept skill and impact lifting prowess by Francis Dudley Dance, prominent in ‘Broken’. A disjointed synth attack bounces from the shaky, jarring and jabbing impact in ‘Space And The Woods’, to the sliding disco jolt of ‘Random Firl’. It is the heartbeat of Late Of The Pier’s approach.

Just when you think they are starting to settle into a consistent groove, the tempo ups a notch and their spacey rock tendencies are laid out to bare, ‘Whitesnake’. ‘Mad Dogs And Englishmen’ is the most vocally textured that da Pier gets, with a stammering verse-build trickling paradoxically into a shrill, panicky chorus. Their cult reputation with some off-kilter followers has not been down to their lyrical prowess, but through ‘Bathroom Gurgle’ they make you take notice of their fun and playful touch on this score;

“So put your hands on your waist-line and move your body to the bass-line.
And get your hands some cheap wine and just ignore it until you feel fine.”

Who said the spirit of the ‘The Time Warp’ was dead, eh? Late Of The Pier along with MGMT are seeking to ensure that confusion and inhibition releasing, reigns supreme this summer.