The Concretes : 3 of 5

My pal Dae is my source of cool music recommendations, so when he mentioned this band, I put their self-titled CD on my wish list right away. I've been listening to it for about a week now, and it's definitely a unique sound - right from the moment the old-school organ comes in on the opening track (appropritely named Say Something New), you know this is going to be a different kind of CD. It's hard to describe their sound, but I would say it's really 60's, both in instrumentation (with things like tambourine, horns, and of course the organ) and in production value (much of it sounds live, especially the drums, which sound like a single mic garage set!). There are plenty of great tunes - Seems Fine is my absolute favorite (since it's the most pop), and Warm Night has an infectious melody (and adds a mandolin to the mix). I think most of the tunes would do better individually on a mix CD than they do as a complete collection, but that hasn't stopped me from listening to it over and over in the car! If you love female vocals (as I do) and an authentic retro sound, you will definitely enjoy The Concretes.