Demos

Haunted Stereo - Treehouse

Owain Paciuszko 30/05/2009

Rating: 4/5

2nd EP release from Southampton based six-piece has a delightfully rich, layered and beautiful sound. Lead track Childhood's End is a welcome introduction to the multi-instrumental charms of this talented rabble; playing banjo, mandolin, accordion, piano, violin, recorder, electric guitar, melodica and percussion but forging them into a coherent and orchestrated pop sound. It's as if A Hawk and A Hacksaw covered Los Campesinos!.

Walking In Threes has a slower, darker edge filled with creaky, fairytale blues, it's Tom Waits scoring Jackanory with the lead-singer Lewis Ford delivering a suitably mournful tone. The chorus is delightfully dischordant, electric guitar slightly wonkily strummed with violin reverberating in the background.

Buttons starts with a Yann Tiersen-esque accordion line looping and female vocals over the sound of horse hooves clip clopping (might be coconuts!), it's an ear-grabbing and sprightly start to this charming and uplifting closing track.

Haunted Stereo have a twee-folk multi-instrumental technicolour sound that is pleasingly popular at present, showcasing the range of sound and the spine-tingling imagination that some people having fun playing music can create. This EP finds them edging towards the peak of their powers and hopefully precedes and equally exuberant debut LP.