Hostile Takeover EP

Spring Tides

Blank Tapes

2008-04-07

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• (Reviewer)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• (Member — 0 votes)

The ‘Unreal World Music’ found on the mysterious collective Spring Tides’ debut EP and is as good a description as any for the unconventional and genre crossing tracks found on it. Released as a 12” white label on Blank Tapes last year, the EP is now getting more of a proper release dishing out some very welcome exotic flavas to the lo-fi indie sound.

“Burnt Out Moons” bursts into being like a sort of utopian futuristic devil dance, wielding sparse yet jaunty percussion and joyful cowbells. Vocals by a Ghanaian singer named Afla Cey go sweeping and soaring around the arrangement while the cheeky bassline perks and excites and an unfussy guitar part spatters a bit of New York post-punk ‘tude. The energy is infectious and beckons to you with the aid of a gleeful cowbell. Without letting the dance stop for a second, “Happy Sighs” is another percussive rhythm drive accompanied by a quirky accordion (or something similar?), a drifting flute melody and happy hand claps.  Breaking down into energetic improvisation sees the experimental side of Spring Tides take over and within it they manage to capture a wistfully ecstatic feeling, the kind you get when you hear Hare Krishnas singing and dancing with their drums and bells and you know you want to join in.

Get on it!

The Hot Chip remix of “No More Mornings” has calmer, lusher tones, with soft lo-fi vocals, similarly exotic percussion and bass accompanied by sweet warm synths. The track regularly descends into droney trance-like interludes, shifting your gaze off into Eastern mysticism through wonky guitar-sitar sounds as the instruments fade out and drift off. Warm and lush like gazing into a sunset and seeing psychedelic futures. The last track “Fuck The Situationist, Fuck The Wildlife” is a larger space for improvisation, relaxed and untroubled, and will get your head rolling around in a shamanic trance (if you are that way inclined). An eerie echoey piano flutters by over rolling drums underneath, before the track pulls itself together with galloping guitar and piano parts. Sleepy sweet melodies leave a warm and tangy taste in your mouth to round up this brief debut EP.

Spring Tides launch off into a refreshing and unusual direction in their Hostile Takeover EP, and it’s very well executed, dipping into a range of styles and collecting spices from East and West. “Burnt out moons” especially seizes the nascent summer vibe inside you. If you’re a fan of Animal Collective or Panda Bear and you’re looking for more bite in your fruitcake, the ‘Unreal World Music’ of Spring Tides will most likely appeal. It’s another solid and decidedly exciting release from Blank Tapes and well worth getting your hands on. Get on it!