There is absolutely no reason to pretend that London trio deary do not sound like Cocteau Twins. The question is, how well do they do this sort of music? Well, the answer is that they do this extraordinarily well.
Birding is the first full-length record from this group. A string of earlier EP releases provided evidence of the special qualities of deary's music, and so many of us were waiting for this album very eagerly as a result. Opener "Smile" is light and airy, but single "Seabird" is all Blue Bell Knoll-y goodness. Ben Easton (guitar), Dottie Cockram (vocals, guitar), and Harry Catchpole (drums) take the pioneering sound of the Cocteaus and jump-start it for a new century. There's a little punch here that earns comparisons to mid-period Lush too. Tunes such as "Baby's Breath" are marvelously layered, and Cockram's winsome cooing seems capable of melting even the most hardened heart. The punchier "Blue Ribbon" has a bit more heft than this kind of thing usually does, and deary show themselves adept at some variation within the genre. The more intimate "Garden of Eden" is remarkably subdued, further evidence of the assurance running through the grooves of this debut.
There's no way to fight the charms of Birding, and why would you want to? With astonishing ease, deary have managed to conjure up the same sort of listening pleasures found within the cuts on Blue Bell Knoll and Heaven or Las Vegas; heck, play "Alma" for someone and tell them it's a lost Cocteau Twins single and see how easily they believe you. Still, for all that, this is an enormously entertaining record, and one which reveals just how much charm still remains in this form. At least when a band like deary comes along and does it so well, that is.
Birding by deary is out on Friday via Bella Union.
[Photo: Josh Hight]