I'm prone to a lot of excitement over music, and probably rave more than other reviewers do. That said, The Cords by The Cords is rave-worthy. This is quite possibly one of the best indie records of this decade.
Eva and Grace Tedeschi were rocking their native Scotland creating a buzz. The buzz around these sisters got so loud that an album was demanded and this week they are laying The Cords on us. Well folks, this is one heck of a record. One of the most listenable things I've heard in years, The Cords is filled with numbers which charm in huge ways.
From the crunch of "Fabulist" and on to the breezy "Just Don't Know (How to be You)", a Flatmates-ish rager, the tunes soar. "October", one of many selections here which sounds like Lazy Records-era Primitives sides, is a gem, as is "Yes It's True", a feedback-drenched blast of energy. "Doubt It's Gonna Change" even echoes Primitives peers The Darling Buds. The uptempo songs on The Cords are extraordinarily up the alley of nearly anyone who likes the stuff I try to cover here, especially anything tagged jangle-pop.
Eva and Grace Tedeschi are wise beyond their years. This stuff on The Cords is great. Echoing so many of the things I loved in earlier eras from both sides of the Atlantic, the songs here are smile-inducing. This record will get tagged with a lot of labels -- twee pop, C86-style, jangle -- but it's really a release which carries on the legacy of early singles from The Primitives. Add in a hint of Heavenly, and you've got a sound here on The Cords which is just wonderful. I cannot rave enough about this album, and in terms of pure joy for a listener, this is a masterpiece.
In the US, The Cords by The Cords is out on September 26 on Slumberland Records. In the UK, it is out on Skep Wax.
[Photo: Greg Gutbezahl]