Search - Epic45 :: England Fallen Over

New clothes for the new world

Keith R. Sawyer | Arlington, MA USA | 11/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Epic45's previous releases were the most accurate swipe at that retro-85 Cocteau Twins pre-shoegaze sound to my ears, a difficult feat considering the quality of the competition. Their latest ep layers in some beats and vocals, combined with the swooshyness it almost sounds like Disco Inferno (Go Pop era) still exists. You could substitute a Hood namedrop in there, though luckily for us that band still does exist. Anyway, back to Epic45. The gem of this one is "Walk Led to Happiness" though all cuts do please. The stuttering static of the opening gives way to a gauzy guitar and some severely out of phase vocals, "we're grateful for the life we have / but things have got to change / things will always change." Mood is more important than meaning, though some resignation does creep into the lyrics in conjunction with some mournful strings. Yes, a fuzzy dose of cotton candy for the ears, a bit of lyrical doubt for those of us who live life in a perpetually doubtful state, what else could I ever want? Besides good Belgian waffles that is ...

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