Litterbug - Speaking Through The Gaps
Litterbug are not a band for fans of heavily produced, note perfect easily accessible pop or rock music. There is a thin line between the sublimely simple and beautiful, and shear chaotic garbage. Litterbug tread that fine line and have moments on 'Speaking Through The Gap' that fall on either side. I'm not sure if they are going for the underproduced, grimy yet sweet, hippyesque sound, or if they just couldn't afford time in a real studio. Bands like the Envelopes definitely benefit from very honest recordings that truly capture the almost childlike nature of the band playing live. But I'm not sure that Litterbug really achieve that and could probably benefit from the very thing they are shying away from.
Vocals from both male and female are at times out of tune and badly recorded, I don't mean in a kitch way, I mean in a bad way. The female vocalist seems to have potential but the male vocals are just grating in places. I can see where the Pixie's influence comes from but the two bands are in completely different leagues. The guitars and drums are similarly shakey but in a good way, although some sections lead you to wonder how long the band have actually had instruments for. The song structures are quite interesting in themselves. The opening track 'Laugh Out Loud' doesn't really seem to have a chorus or indeed any different sections and just seems to go nowhere. This method of song writing seems to be repeated across this mini-album, interspersed with cute instrumental sections but in the other songs it works quite well.
It's nice to see a band doing something different and going against the commercial drive of most bands. Litterbug are quaint and have some engaging songs but probably won't be for everyone.