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Review: Tango in the Attic – Sellotape [Album]

Domicile Crocodiles // "Most definitely offbeat and slopey, Sellotape's intense busy sound and ear-piercing tones didn’t impress"

by Candi H, July 15th, 2012 and has been Read 708 times.
Last Edited by: Ffion Davies July 16th, 2012.

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Self-penned “offbeat slopey pop” band Tango in the Attic, hail from the large town of Glenrothes in Scotland. Since their formation in 2008, vocalist Jordan Craig, guitarist Jonathan MacFarlane, bassist James Crook and drummer Paul Johnson have released two albums; their debut in 2010, Bank Place Locomotive Society, was widely received and was notably hailed as BBC Radio 1’s Scotland’s Album of the Month. In 2012 they have released its successor, the more simply titled Sellotape. Now, the idea of listening to “offbeat slopey pop” didn’t grab me off-hand, and so with more than a little trepidation I started playing the nine track album.

Opening with ‘Stitch’, my first impression was “oh, not another dreary indie band”. The genre has never inspired me a great deal, however I stuck with its lo-fi twitchy groove. Twangy guitars, electronic blips and enthusiastic cymbal crashing are closely followed by Jordan’s Kook-esque warblings. It was ok, however it didn’t help that the frontman’s style of singing meant that I couldn’t understand what he was talking about. ‘198 Alpaca’ was more appealing, well almost. An unusual Sleigh Bells type percussion litters the three-minute track which starts off quite absorbing, but became too harsh for my ears. You know when you give a kid a drum stick and they proceed to not only hit the drum kit erratically, but start hitting everything around it aswell? Yeah, that’s what it reminded me of.

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Not a great start admittedly, but the dream-pop notes of ‘Suncream’ and the Two Door Cinema Club inspired ‘Mona Lisa Overdrive’ got my attention. The first still had Jordan’s echoed mumble which I still failed to understand, however, the instrumentation was more interesting with buzzing guitar effects and a steady syncopated rhythm which was danceable. The latter indeed had more personality; unsurprisingly being the lead single from Sellotape.

The comparisons to New York’s Vampire Weekend are justified; its upbeat choruses far more enjoyable than any else here yet. I also found myself growing more attuned to the Scots style with the fiery flair of ‘Paw Prints’, in which energetic drum thwumping is combined with sparkly garage-pop guitars and one of the more impressive vocal performances.

WATCH // 'Paw Prints'

I liked the quirky time signature’s in ‘Chewing Gum’; odd but still melodic enough to be fun. On the other hand, I couldn’t get used to the shrill sounds of ‘Swimming Pool’ with its harsh alternative stabbing guitars and piercing synth notes that would bring the neighbourhoods dogs together. I pretty much felt the same about the melancholic ‘Family Sucks’ which just made me feel uncomfortable. The surf-rock vibe of ‘The Paradise Institute’ as the album’s closing number, thankfully acted as an antidote to the severe and sharp notes of previous, but it still wasn't enough to change my mind about this collection overall.

Most definitely offbeat and slopey, Tango in the Attic and Sellotape unfortunately will not be joining my iTunes catalogue any time soon. Their lo-fi indie style will suit fans of The Drums and the already mentioned Vampire Weekend, but for me the intense busy sound, ear-piercing tones and slurred vocals didn’t leave me wanting to hear more.

Sellotape is out now