An umbrella song that's not extremely annoying
‘Big Umbrella’ is the latest single from “rocktronica” act Kings Have Long Arms (here on referred to as KHLA). Rocktronica is, as you might imagine, dancey rock type stuff, with this outfit being the work of one Adrian Flanagan. It’s always interesting to note the caliber of collaborators when dealing with this kind of artist, and KHLA have some eye-catching additions to the CV by way of Ladytron, All Seeing Eye and Phil Oakey (as an aside, ‘Together In Electric Dreams’, what a tune!)
On this track vocal duties are performed by Candie Payne, who seemed to spend much of 2007 being tipped for hugeness, but thus far doesn’t appear to be in quite the same league as fellow females Kate Nash, Adele, Duffy or Lily Allen.
Those who list that collective of ladies as ones who are pleasing to the ear will find ‘Big Umbrella’ to be likewise. A fan of St Etienne may also find this track to their liking. It is laid back and comes complete with catchy keyboard hooks which are subtle enough that you don’t notice them at first, but five minutes later it dawns on you that they’re still going round and round in your head. The vocals are pleasant enough to listen to, but it takes a few plays for their charm to emerge.
The trouble with this track is, although it is far from dislikable, there is little going on to make it stand out from the crowd. To say it’s “take it or leave it” would be harsh, but it’s unlikely to be at the front of the queue for either.