Featuring Tim Vass (The Razorcuts) and Vanessa Vass (The Melons), Silver Biplanes are here to warm your indie hearts. Their debut long-player, A Moment in the Sun, is out now and it's a fine listen. That's it's on the esteemed WIAIWYA label is another reason to suggest you check it out.
Opener "Parallel World" is effortlessly tuneful, while "Searching for Your Name", with Vanessa on lead vocals, is an absolute delight. Catchy and emotive, the tune's a bit reminiscent of early Belle & Sebastian, with Vanessa's vocals anchoring the whole thing nicely. Elsewhere, "Deliver the Dawn" is a mood-piece, with instrumental passages and distant vocals creating a mood not unlike early Virginia Astley (only with more guitar), while the bubbly "UAS 29396" is all Stereolab circa 1992.
Fans of Razorcuts will naturally find a lot to love here, but there are a few stylistic chances taken that are much appreciated. The style is more or less consistent throughout A Moment in the Sun, but with numbers like "UAS 29396", and the rough closer "There's a Party", the willingness of Tim and Vanessa Vass to push at the confines of the indie form is apparent. Spry and expertly constructed, the best tunes on A Moment in the Sun both point towards the best jangle-pop of years past, and signal ways in which the genre can expand with a little push.
A Moment in the Sun is out now via WIAIWYA.
[Photo: Silver Biplanes Facebook page.]