This new collection of B-sides and the like by Holy Wave opens on such a high note that one may be tempted to keep playing the first song before getting to the rest. "Chaparral", a breathy bit of neo-psychedelia is as good as anything Brit band Temples, to use one easy point of comparison, have recorded to date. And that's not surprising for anyone who's been following this Austin, Texas band's ascent. Where once I might have compared these guys to the UK band I mentioned, it now seems as if these Yanks are better at making music like this.
Studio 22 Singles and B-Sides collects singles and rarities and the like from Holy Wave. It's a tight little distillation of this group's appeal. That appeal is rooted in an airy apporach to the styles of the Sixties, with a healthy dollop of elements of chamber pop holding things together. "Time Crisis Too", for example, echoes work from High Llamas, but a playful keyboard line keeps this pointed towards the stars. It's simple at first listen, then reveals itself as wonderfully layered on second and subsequent ones. Holy Waves know how to do this sort of thing extremely well.
At their best, like on "Bog Song", Holy Wave reach a kind of peak. The material is diaphanous and full of light thanks to producer Tomas Dolas, yet things never seem precious. There are very few groups who can do this kind of thing this well, and Holy Wave are one of them. Studio 22 Singles and B-Sides is short but it is as perfect a summation of this outfit's appeal as any I've heard yet. Wonderful songs here, and they are all perfectly suited to the start of Spring!
Studio 22 Singles and B-Sides by Holy Wave is out on Friday via Suicide Squeeze Records.
[Photo: James Oswald]