Slinky indie-pop coils itself around Hatty Taylor’s delightful lead vocal on opening track This Is Normal, that carefully and craftily gathers pace, bolstered by a cheeky guitar line, finally leaping into a helter-skelter refrain of ‘If you call, when you call, won’t you be discrete’ with sci-fi synths, where Hatty transforms from sweet into sultry Grace Jones-alike, the track growing impressively ever grander from there, sending shivers up and down the spine. It’s a glittering and glorious opener that edges the band away from their earlier pseudo-Portishead leanings into something pulsating and alive.
A whistled melody, supper club drumming and dribbles of synth see that Wintertime however finds them back in Beth Gibbons territory, going so far as to even employ a copycat vocal filter, the lyrics playing on classic track Summertime by George Gershwin just as much as Portishead would play with classics whether through samples of sly nods. Luckily the musical arrangment distinguishes itself by being more reminiscent of Jon Brion‘s work with Fiona Apple.
Filthy guitars propel the otherwise moody Dang, it’s a hi-speed if somewhat disposable number, lacking the emotional tug of the previous two tracks. Closing track Best Shot walks in on tip toes, a muffled ominous march trooping in the background, Hatty wondering ‘Why do I feel so alone?’ as guitar wanders in amongst creepy horror movie synths. It’s a theatrical and elegant close to the record, like early Goldfrapp and leaves the record feeling like an assortment of options with regards to Vienna Ditto’s capabilities. Nevertheless, there’s enough to enjoy and intrigue here to suggest that this is definitely a band worth keeping an ear on.
[Rating:3]
