Dropping immediately after the melodic battering ram of ‘Bar Lights’, Altadore’s new single was always going to sound slight by comparison.
But once you’ve settled into its loping rhythm, the gentle message of ‘Clearer; and Gabe Mouer’s trilling, roaming guitar will leave you happy that Spring has sprung and noting that there’s a freshness burgeoning in the air.
Besides which, as much as there is something to be said for continuity of pace and tone, most of the best longer players that you own are likely to offer some fluctuations of tempo and sound. Coming, as it does, immediately after ‘Bar Lights’, according to the current tracking of parent EP ‘Wandering Ghost’ (planned release date 21 April), its comparative softness will work in the favour of the overall record.
In one of those twists of fate, however, it’s flip-side ‘Drink Sipper’ that I like the best. The ringing guitars and stately pace give this song the air of a ghost story, or at least one that trafficks in the spirits of lost loves, like shadows of cigarette smoke in a party room recently emptied of revellers. That sense is reinforced by something in the guitar solo (perhaps its wooziness) that reminds me of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Cornerstone’, another tale of romantic haunting.
You’ll be able to get ‘Clearer’ through itunes etc from tomorrow, but you’ll have to source the b-side through Altadore’s bandcamp page or soundcloud stream until the EP comes out.
