Singles

William - Playground

Bill Cummings 12/06/2007

Rating: 3.5/5

Away from the clichés of the Thamesbeat bandwagon, South London three piece William, have been carving a nice niche for themselves live with their refreshing take on the alternative American sounds of the 1990s, dexterous bass lines, fast paced guitars, snappy drums and twitchy introspective vocals: its an organic rock sound, that revels in its own pure simplicity.

Playground is all taught merry-go round drums and bass, serrated guitars, and Gavin Housley's strung out notes and US twang it sounds like the point where Eastern Lane meets The Pixies for a play on the swings. The whole tune is pushed along at a pace, the displaced lyrics ("I wanna get off but I just can't say") are disorientating, joyous all at once: rather like the rushing primary colours of the playground, by 1 minute 58, subtle dynamics: twang and thud for a breather before jumping on the back of this choppy catchy breathless tune. Its not quite of the level of their last single "Aperture" but it further showcases a band with a enjoyably style. Plus the Bside shows William's more sedate side rolling waves of percussion, and emotional vocals ripple delightfully.