Something that is often said to me about independent artists is that their music is more pure because they're artists not doing it for anything else other than the love of the art. I don't know true this is and I have pretty neutral feelings towards both sides of the argument but if this idea was ever to become a court case, Han and Sadie's new album would definitely be exhibit number one in favour of the above idea.
5 years in the making, from the first track to the last you can feel the sweat, tears and sheer passion that has gone into the project. Perfection just oozes out in the mellow, smooth feel that the album captures, no mean feat because as we all know, it's much easier to catch people's attention by being loud than it is by being subtle. "Houses" neatly sidesteps this trap that a lot of commercial pop seems to fall into these days with it's unpretentious melodies and uncomplicated, laid back rhythms.
Sadie's vocals are as always infallible, meshing neatly with the other elements of the album's tracks. Never trying hard to vy for our attention, they sit nicely and complement the tunes in a laid back subtle manner that leaves Sadie's haunting voice echoing in your head, long after you've already put the headphones down and started on the commute to work or school. Another nice surprise has been Han's duties as lead vocalist. I know it's not Han's first outing behind the mike but as the driving force behind the Cities' lead guitar, it slips one's mind that he really is this versatile. Check out the album's lucky 13th track "Nowt" and hear for yourself. Personally it brings to mind those few Smashing Pumpkins B-sides when James Iha got to showcase his vocals instead of Billy Corgan's. Just like James, you would never have thought Han could sing quite so beautifully.
There's a few more electronic elements than there were on "Watertown" this time round and I think it's a good thing. It's my opinion that it's pretty hard to use electronic instruments and not have them overpower the acoustic ones but "Houses" is an album where a lot of thought has been done about integrating the disparate pieces and producing an end result where all the bits - electronic, acoustic and electric - come together in a planned and intricate harmony. Simply bliss to listen to.
So, that's how I feel about the new album after listening to it about 5 times. There's just so many tracks tailor made for listening on a warm afternoon, I'm sure "Houses" will be one of those albums that I will be finding myself reaching for again and again.
"Houses shine like Teeth" is available now from www.theinvisiblecities.com.
