Singles

Souvaris, Sincabeza - Clown Jazz

Richard Wink 15/02/2010

Rating: 3/5

Relations between the English and French have mellowed over the years, after centuries of violence it seems that today we can break baguettes and sit down to a marathon of Godard and Leigh films. We can spend the morning in London and then dance the night away in Paris. We can sip cider and chardonnay… oh, you get the point.

Nottingham's Souvaris open with two sprightly melodic jams; 'Great Scott' is relaxing, a train journey through acres of countryside, providing a gentle rhythmic thrust. 'Hello, Antelope' is much more intrepid, building urgently with choppy fretwork before lazing on a Wish You Were Here-style snapshot of a paradise island you will never visit.

Hailing from Bordeaux, Sincabeza are a far more interesting proposition than the Englishmen they share time on this EP with. Throwing up a dizzying post-punk blancmange, 'Bacalacola' dances in the indie club to Devo and The Futureheads. Opening with chuntering cyber-drums from the near future, 'Facile a Compter' moves intricately yet abrasively into a chamber of techno trance. 'Malallido' reminds me of a more technically gifted version of Foals, with elaborately crafted arrangements glinting, breaking, pausing and shaking.

Souvaris fall into that category of being proficient, yet limited. Again, an instrumental 'rock' band struggles to offer anything more then a soundtrack, or a elongated background moment; they lack the capability of capturing the euphoria of a voiceless track that might flutter under any of the various sub-genres that fall under the banner of Dance. Sincabeza challenge this statement, creating a compulsive need to move. Viva La France!