 Girlboy
Girl
"Forget the Ladder, Climb the Wall" CD
Kittridge
Records
Genres: indie pop, twee, lo-fi
Kittridge Records
PO Box 662011
Los Angeles, CA
90066
Jul 19 - 25 2004 |
After a host of seven-inches and EPs, as well as a full-lengther on
Blackbean and Placenta, Girlboy Girl have entrusted their
second album to LA label Kittridge Records, who have a knack for
unearthing obscure yet enticing indie pop acts. The band sticks
to a reasonably familiar twee pop style, rounding out their sound with
a bit of cheery spunk that sets them apart from some of the genre's
softer inhabitants.
Although Girlboy Girl is actually a fourpiece, the
songwriting is divided between Rupert Taylor and Paula
Knight exclusively. Both Taylor and Knight
have very similar styles, however - you'd be hard-pressed to
distinguish between the two. As such, Forget the Ladder
is a somewhat homogeneous disc; the songs themselves aren't that
memorable, and will require multiple listens before they break out of
their shells.
Initially, Forget the Ladder's most notable songs are the
most energetic ones. "On The Horizon" is peppy and
sweet, with a very pleasant chorus, while "Go" is catchy and
exciting, though quite lo-fi. The slower songs take a bit longer
to sink in; "Starting To Peel," for example, is
uninteresting at first, but once you hear it a few times, you wonder
what you originally missed.
Forget the Ladder, Climb the Wall will take a few listens to
reach its potential, but twee fans will find it well worth the wait.
80%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 14 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
