Accept this invitation.
Cave singers they may be but on first play of this album you would be forgiven for thinking that this album was recorded in a cave. It starts off murky and quiet but when you train your ear to the mix, it suddenly takes on a new life as the nasally twang and beat of the tambourine places the listener in a land where Bob Dylan rules and it is just like the1960s never ended.
Its not out and out folk though, the murky side of the recording does add an edge where you could imagine it gets a bit manic and on ‘Dancing On Our Graves’, the rhythm is practically hypnotic in its charm and grace. It is an album you will find yourself nodding and bopping to, you’ll then pause and question if this is the sort of thing you should be getting along to in such a way but its hard to remain control and soon you’ll be jiving away again.
It wont be a shock to find there is a fair amount of harmonica throughout this record but its well-used and more importantly, not over used but it adds that authentic feel to it. Which is a selling point of the record, it has that authentic folky streak to it but it isn’t strictly tied to it, it touches psychedelic, it touches bluegrass and leans on dark melodic murderous pop in some tracks, most notably ‘New Monuments’ which quite frankly, is a beast of a track. Of course, in a good way, it’s a menacing number, you can almost imagine the band has sold their soul at the crossroads to conjure up this song and although it clocks in at under 4 minutes, it has the feeling of a song that last much longer, which indicates the presence it holds.
Given that the Arcade Fire have smashed into the British record buyers hearts with apparent ease, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that The Cave Singers may manage the same. Over the course of this record, they have displaced a maturity and consistency that would allow them to stand toe to toe with any of the current ‘serious’ acts and given the way they do it in such an understated and cool way is only to be applauded. Soon to be appearing in the UK supporting the also excellent Band of Horses, its looking like a good time to stop being a hermit and get into the Cave Singers.