Demos

Vienna Ditto - Long Way Down

Owain Paciuszko 18/01/2010

Rating: 4/5

Combobulated from Reading, Oxford and London this three-piece make female fronted sleazy surf pop with style and grace. It has some of the retro charm of sadly defunct Irish outfit The Chalets, mixing the boutique with dirty fuzz guitars and the old electro flourish. Particularly on this single they display a huge array of imagination, using a number of bridges and stop-starts with technical panache and slinky skill.

Hatty Taylor's voice recalls the almighty likes of Beth Gibbons, but with her quivering coos bares a strong similarity to Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick, and allied with the delightfully sci-fi synth wig-outs near the song's close there's a very modern twist to their rockabilly vibe.

Elsewhere on the CD I was sent were a collection of three demos, each showcasing the band's intelligent and fun-filled arrangments, accessible and acerbic and laden with a huge deal of potential. A relatively new band, they've already gained a degree of notice from a few mainstream outlets and I fully expect this to continue and grow as the year goes on. Very impressive stuff!