Say Baby Won't You Come In Out Of The Rain With Me?
It's always nice to find bands willing to push the boundaries of music slightly, but still managing to keep on their feet on the ground so they don't develop what we call Primus Syndrome. If you've never heard of Primus, then you've just proved my point - experimental bands tend to get little to no recognition because sometimes their music becomes so experimental it shifts from Good gear to Dross gear. That's not to say Primus aren't a good band, they're just not exactly the most popular band in the world now, are they?
Anyway, Engineers happen to be one of those bands trying to push the limits whilst keeping their roots dug deeply into the world of pleasant, popular music. And here is Exhibit A of said steadfast-limit-pushing: their new single "Come In Out Of The Rain". The boys from Manchester claimed recently that "We don't sound like anything current." - And I wholeheartedly agree with them. Their vast, open, spacey sound is no doubt influenced from the bands of yesteryear, for example, their rock solid, never-changing drum part could easily have been pilfered from any of the 90s indie bands. That doesn't mean their entire song is a mishmash of musical relics from the past for the majority of the song is original.
The vocalist doesn't appear to attempt to strain his voice in any part of the song; there's no Thom Yorke falsetto here, thanks. His voice blends perfectly with the song, melting into the nooks and crannies left by the small piano and guitar riffs that brick this musical wall, and it really boosts the song as a whole. It's not a catchy song as such, but a perfect song for those clichéd "chill out" albums that exist today, a pleasant listen for those quieter moments in life.
The B-side is a cover of a Tim Hardin song called "If I Were A Carpenter" - not that that really means much to me. It's essentially a slightly faster song than the single track, with a repetitive acoustic guitar part almost infusing with the percussion part, alongside the light drumming, of course. The vocals are in the same low, mellow style, so this song is another song that wouldn't go a miss in a "chill out" session.