The lopsided hooks of White Denim's particular blend of Seventies lite rock and indie are back in full force. The group's new one, 12, is out this week, and it's a charming record, and one with a looseness that sounds like the work of a band fresh out of the gate, not one here offering up their twelfth long-player.
"Light On", the Phish-y opener, is nimble, but far better is the sharper "Ecolining" right after. That one is stuffed with instrumentation -- is that a real flute in there? -- and it's got a Beta Band-like sense of trying to do 10 things at once. Still, James Petralli corals all the pieces of this and keeps things reasonably focused. On this one and a few others here, there's a faint echo of Paul Simon, particularly his African phase stuff. The wry "Flash Bare Ass", for example, combines a sassy lyric delivery with an infectious, spry central hook. That one, and the sweeter "Swinging Door", a collaboration with Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham of site faves Finom, are real highlights here. Elsewhere, "Second Dimension" brings Seventies influences right to the surface, and Petralli convincingly makes the case that maybe this track is some long-lost AM Gold gem from the summer of 1976.
James Petralli is drawing upon some obvious points of inspiration here on 12, but there's a lightness to the compositions which keeps things endearing. This is, ultimately, pop music, and while it's on a venerable label and indie in approach, this is certainly radio-worthy stuff. Petralli has dropped Scritti Politti references in press, and I can hear that, but I can also hear a whiff of mid-Eighties China Crisis -- dig the lush synth-y soundscapes of the backing to "I Still Exist" -- but somehow Petralli keeps things decidely forward-looking. There's a playful ambition in these tracks that makes it seem as if this is the first record from White Denim, not their twelfth. Sounding more like a young band than an existing one, White Denim have served up one of their best overall releases here with 12.
12 by White Denim is out this week via Bella Union.
[Photo: Charlie Weinmann]