Put it in whatever genre you want, but the music of Toronto's Tallies recalls the very best stuff lots of us grew up on. Shades of The Sundays, The Innocence Mission, and even the Cocteau Twins lurk in the grooves here on the new one from the band, yet Patina is full of enough that's unique to make it a real highlight of this week. The Bella Union release really caught me by surprise, is what I'm trying to say.
The airy bliss of opener "No Dreams of Fayres" masks the heavier vibe of the lyrics, while the peppy "Hearts Underground" takes that whole dream-pop thing and runs around with it. Elsewhere, "Catapault" recalls both Slowdive and the previously-mentioned Sundays, even as the guitar-wash of "Special" echoes not only the Cocteaus but Swallow and other 4AD bands. "Am I the Man" has the best, brightest hook here, and finds Tallies find a way to balance the sonic effects with the melodic ones.
Tallies are the sort of band who'll get press but at the expense of a lot of hoary comparisons. And, yeah, there's a lot here that, for someone of my background, seems to reference a bunch of groups I played constantly a few decades ago (and do still, if the truth is known). But, really, Patina is the sort of lovely record that deserves to stand on its own. Even if pieces of this feel wildly familiar, Tallies manage to make things feel fresh again, such that with every chiming guitar-line, or cooing bit of vocals, the overall effect remains one that still manages to send chills up the spine, just as this kind of thing did back some years ago.
Patina by Tallies is out today via Bella Union, or Kanine in the States.
[Photo: Kate Dockeray]