3

The indescribable, described

The Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms has 528 pages filled of, strangely, synonyms and antonyms. For the less verbose, its mere existence is a sublime gift. Reviving tired brain cells with sparkier, more dynamic words, it is a staple of the often slightly pretentious and wholly lazy. Take from that what you will.

So how does this relate to the latest offering from London based duo, Conchitas?

Well, words seem to be a problem for describing 'Butterflies' as there doesn't seem to be the right combination of them to fully express the sound contained within this track.

After repeated listens it remains rather dirge-like in tone, chugging and chugging along like a spluttering engine on a clapped out 35 year old Volvo, but with no real progression. Yes, it tries to sound big, brash and anthemic, but it fails to alight any flames with originality or any sense of burgeoning musical prowess.

Singer El's voice is a sticking point also: monotonous and lacking any discernable passion needed when the music has such lofty aspirations, it falls flat. To describe the tonal qualities of her voice is challenging, but if Tom Waits were to under go hormone treatment and have a sex change, die, come back as a zombie, mistake shards of glass and jagged rocks for brains and then try to sing, he may sound something like this.

An ultimately disappointing effort.