Van Susans - Bricks Not Sticks or Straw
Van Susans are an up-and-coming indie band that seem to be garnering themselves a fair bit of radio play and with some successful gigs under their belt. Their single, 'Bricks Not Sticks or Straw', then, shows why. It's a tight, sharp, happy, sing-along indie tune. Backed up by driving power-pop guitars and with a very catchy hook, it rolls along at a reasonable pace and is a generically good pop song. The vocal delivery is worth mentioning as well, as on the A-side the singer tries to carve himself out a more unique style of delivery, and while it works quite well, at first I could understand if it sometimes grated on some listener's ears.
But I'm actually going to mainly stick up for the track the single is backed with. 'Disappear' is a passionate, driven track that sounds a little like early Idlewild. The subject is a bit darker than the aforementioned single, but I think it has more substance and passion than it. The vocals are more conventional this time round, but sound much better. Here, it is evident that this guy really can sing, even when he's not trying to do anything special with it. This track also drives along with fast guitars and a generally uplifting sound, and sounds absolutely rocking. When the two tracks are compared, this makes the main single seem underwhelming. Having said that, if your backing tracks are this good, imagine what the main singles could become.