Album Reviews |

Teitur



The Singer 8 ( 2008 )
The Singer / Your Great Book / The Girl I Don't Know / We Still Drink The Same Water / Catherine The Waitress / Legendary Afterparty / Guilt By Association / Start Wasting My Time / Letter From Alex / Don't Let Me Fall In Love With You! / You Should Have Seen Us

Teitur has been hidden away playing gigs in obscure circles until now. He's released a few things prior to 'The Singer' LP but only now is he receiving due attention. He has a peculiar voice, like a young Elmer Fudd. His default mode appears to be lo-fi ballad, yet there are signs here of a highly promising talent. Take 'Letter From Alex', if The Beach Boys had managed to get Bruce Johnson high on drugs circa 1967 instead of being a square, this is the kind of tune he might of written. Well, it's more the minimalism of 'Smiley Smile' than 'Smile' itself, featuring deep, intoning bass sounds and pleasant whiffs of far distant harmonies. When he sings 'never coming back...' you get a few seconds of this gorgeousness before what sounds like a theremin plays a childs tv-theme for a few more seconds. I've hardly done this justice, but the word splendid isn't too far from my mind. 'Your Great Book' is laid-back, mellow indie singer/songwriter fare that seems initially unremarkable but the subtle nature of Teitur's melodies do sink in eventually.

It would be nice though if Teitur did more upbeat numbers like 'Catherine The Waitress' which is indie-pop of the highest order. Brass mixes with klockenspiel to create an unusual textural air whilst the pace of the tune is speedy enough to get that adrenalin rush all the best pop provides a listener. Come on Teitur, less of the dull if worthy likes of 'Legendary Afterparty' and more like 'Catherine The Waitress' please? The title track reminds me of those lo-fi Baby Bird albums, the good stuff released before Baby Bird had hits and stuff. Let's take the title track, vibes and percussion and a self-aware yet strangely affecting set of vocals and lyrics, eg 'I never meant to be a singer, but i'm slowly getting used to the idea.' 'We Drink The Same Water' is gorgeously slow moving yet very affecting lyrically and understated yet hugely effective musically.

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