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Detroit! Rock City! Or the hood, depending on your
slant. But for every D12 or, erm, Kiss that have come
to characterise the city's musical persona you'd kind
of hope that in a garage somewhere there was maybe a
bunch of girls tripping out in their own deep psychedelic
wonderland protectively clutching a copy of 'Velvet
Underground & Nico' to their collective bosom as gospel
and making the antithesis of 'Fight Music' with a careless
ease. Wouldn't you? Well, we would and as luck would
have it the dreamy Slumberparty, led by Aliccia Berg
(along with Gretchen, Marcie and Leigh), are just that.
Originally out last year through the ultra-indie-indeed
Kill Rock Stars in the US (previous home of, amongst
others, Elliot Smith and Huggy Bear) the eponymous debut
sees light of day in the UK now through Poptones. And
very happily they sit on both rosters, assuming the
same position at both parties; slumped in the corner
of the room with the most retro 60s wallpaper, daisies
around their necks, inane smiles plastered to their
faces, intense glaze in their eyes, nodding their heads
gently, giggling occasionally.
Centre-piece of the record and about the most focused,
intense and melodic is the wonderfully dirty 'Certain
Versions', swinging low in a dark place for the verse
and coarsely prodding a hole out and soaring through
the light with an uplifting chorus. Hard hitting and
solid in a way like a husky Sleater Kinney but, well,
in a slumber, the harmonies are warm and wide and the
guitars supportive. Simple and expansive psychedelic
pop, no space is left devoid of atmosphere. You'll get
the idea very quickly, but so engaged you'll be, perked
up by subtle fluctuations, you won't tire of its repetition.
Label
site - www.poptones.co.uk
Band site - www.slumberparty.50megs.com
Review by James Berry for Crud Magazine©
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