Wednesday 7 March 2012

MUSIC: POLIÇA

More new music! Poliça are the brainchild of Gayngs founder, Ryan Olson and combine swarming beats with a really distinct vocal sound. Their debut album 'Give You the Ghost' came out in the US just before Christmas and is scheduled for UK release on the 23rd April.


In terms of similar artists, they're reminiscent of a bigger-sounding, more atmospheric Glasser or White Hinterland but, whilst they're definitely of the same chillwave/post-dubstep leanings, the decision to have two drummers makes for a more engaging sound and, as you might expect, a more absorbing live presence (I saw White Hinterland play not long after 'Kairos' came out and was hugely disappointed, partly because the songs lacked this theatre live).


Bon Iver's Justin Vernon recently described Poliça as 'the best band I've ever heard' and there is certainly a lot of hype surrounding their music (Jay-Z has also said how much he admires their sound); however, singer Channy Leneagh’s vocals appear to be splitting opinion on YouTube for their heavy use of auto-tune. Personally, I think the conspicuousness of this effect works powerfully to implicate a drama and disjointedness to their sound, particularly on the single 'Lay Your Cards Out' (shown top). Despite this, I'm not sure whether a whole album of it would be as effective - whether it becomes more of a gimmick than a dynamic part of the music. Admittedly, it's pretty hard for me to know for sure until I've listened the entire album, but, based on the strength of what I've heard so far, I look forward to finding out.

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