Sunday 30 December 2012

The 2kDozen 500: #346 - Friends, "Manifest!"

Bit disappointed when I got the vinyl that the band has gone for that whole ugly guys at the back/pretty girls at the front look. In fact the whole sighing teen girl pyjama party sleepover vibe I find mildly objectionable. Not sure why; just seems a bit silly. It's such a poseur (or poseuse) version of sex. And I'm assuming none of those involved are still teenagers, skinny as they are.


Musically though, I like it. I think. Indie pop it is, a little ponderous in pace. Plenty of space in the music - to give it a pleasingly amateur edge, perhaps. Several touchstones are set off - Blondie, Madonna: teen poster fodder for both boys and girls. More of this indie romance. My year seems to be closing with these warmer tones when it entered in a blizzard of faded emotion and witch house.

"I'm His Girl" is disturbingly retro (to put it politely): it makes Lana Del Ray come across like Bikini Kill. Or am I reading too much into this pop lark? It's all bike shed sexual politics, am I right?


"Proud/Ashamed" is an interesting title. I don't have time to listen to it closely enough. (This is snatched from the possibility of having to go and feed my infant lad any minute.) The bell tolling gives it a sense of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". There is gang strut to "Va Fan Gor Du" that fits in with the Double Dutch playground attitude that oozes from the record. And a bit of Swedish rarely goes amiss. Double Swedish, mebbes.

"I can't compromise my concept of truth/Just to make myself more comfortable/To hide inside my youth."

Big words, little lady. Big words.

Rating: Teen Bedroom Posters out of Bike Shed Sexual Politics

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