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The Besties
Singer
Skipping Stones
Possibly the most precious indie pop to come across my plate this year, Singer is an eight-track almost LP full of themed songs with obvious names. How the trio chooses to present each subject varies from song to song, but for the most part they manage a combination of lyric content and instrumentation. Check out "Space Song" which details an interplanetary love affair set against cold tones, electronics, reverb and a pleasant but questionable harpsichord. "Western Song" follows suit burrowing into Ennio Morricone for pre-schoolers territory with a shuffling beat, accordion, barroom piano and a Byrds-ian lead guitar.
Of course, in the case of "Prison Song," "Zombie Song" and "Pirate Song" there's a shift toward the absurdist love in the lyrics leaving traditional keys-drums-guitar instrumentation to knit together such disparate subjects like seadogs, the undead and incarceration. The biggest musical in-joke on the disc is "Sweden Song." With a melodica front and center and a vocal melody straight from the Swedish pop fakebook, The Besties have crafted a reply to the surely-forgotten Starlet song "Love-Story of the Year."
Knee-deep in irony, but still managing sincerity despite all of its humor, The Besties mission statement is best summed up with "Theme Song": "No titles/ It's too much trouble." These folks want to make playful music the most effortless way possible and from how catchy Singer turned out to be, it looks like they've succeeded.
