February 16th, 2011 1:00am
Five Ways To Catch A Cold
Eagle & Talon “In Manila”
Kim from Eagle & Talon sings in a way that always reminds me a bit of Mary Timony, and so when I first heard this song, a line from a Helium song came to mind: “Cos we’re going out without our guitars…” The band played around with keyboards a bit on their previous record, but that sounded a bit tentative to me alongside their guitar-centric tracks. “In Manila” is all cheap keyboards and thin beats, but it also has the urgency and tunefulness of their best work. I like the way the vocals and the music seem slightly at odds — it sounds as if she’s going through some serious emotional drama while stuck in some environment that’s meant to be very cheerful and innocuous.
Buy it directly from Eagle & Talon.