Last year saw the release of the debut full-length from Giant Day. That album, reviewed here, was the first new band signing released by Elephant 6 in years. Following the death of Will Cullen Hart, the imprint/collective is still, thankfully, moving forward. And I'm happy to say that Giant Day are back and sounding as deliciously bright as before.
Giant Day is Derek Almstead (Circulatory System, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Glands, Elf Power, Of Montreal) and Emily Growden (Marshmallow Coast, Faster Circuits, The New Sound of Numbers). Their tunes here on Alarm, out today, are shiny, lush, and a little elegant. Single "Golden Times" sounds like something from side 2 of Heaven or Las Vegas, while "King of Ghosts" chirps with promise. On "Healthy Families Virginia", Derek sings lead and the effect is a little like the down-tempo selections on an early Ultra Vivid Scene record. Elsewhere, "Back to the Corner" sounds a little like Ivy, with Emily crooning with a gentle plaintiveness, while the languid "New Hollow" very nearly condensese a Spacemen 3 vibe into a simple pop song.
The best cuts on Alarm owe debts to bands as disparate as Broadcast and China Crisis, and every one of these numbers is smartly rendered. Less baroque than the pioneering acts on the Elephant 6 imprint, the material from Giant Day consistently pleases on direct terms. Alarm seems a leap forward for Giant Day. The tunes here which soar -- and there are a bunch -- are shimmering with the kind of pop potential that we've always expected from an Elephant 6 group. This is an easy record to love, and a sign that Giant Day are only going to keep topping themselves going forward. Highly recommended.
Alarm by Giant Day is out on August 23 via The Elephant 6 Recording Co..
[Photo: Giant Day]