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Let's first focus on British Birds. The brother-sister duo is from Chorley, Lancashire in the U.K. It is totally DIY with Bobby Townson creating all the music and Emma Townson in charge of all the artwork. The drums are played by Dominic Lawson (apart from Michael Aindley on ‘Just Like Them’). The bass by James Robinson. Their first two albums were self-released and sold at shows. Murmurate, Oscillate is released by Skepwax Records, the home of fine bands like Heavenly and Railcard. British Birds fits in just nicely there, so I found.
Does coincidence exist? While I was listening this morning to the album once again, a flock of birds flew into the two trees in from of our house and sat on the top of the house opposite, to take off a while later. Reading the bio coming with the album I found the meaning of the word 'murmurate', that I had planned to look up. It is "the low hum made by those vast, beautifully choreographed flocks of starlings as they simultaneously flap their wings and take to the sky", adding "(s)ome people say that the frequency of this unique, rumbling, oscillating sound can cure diseases". I looked up starling to be certain and found it translated to "spreeuw", what I thought. You can take an educated guess what birds were sitting in front of our house.
Everyone ever having seen starlings do their mesmerising dance in the sky will have been in awe of the beauty it offers. British Birds offer some of that beauty on this album. I know that tastes in music is strictly personal, but when a band sticks the, in my ears, less good song as album opener and from grows and grows, it does something right.
'Ride Alone' is a good song, but does not speak to me like the song coming next. It simply doesn't start strong enough. A little psychedelic it is, perhaps even unintentional. The song slowly grows but remains fairly strict in contrast with the playfulness the band presents later on. In my single review of August, I wrote about one band sticking out most, Dogs Die In Hot Cars. This band folded in 2008 after releasing one album, 'Please Describe Yourself' (2004). I even looked up if the band's singer was not one of the singers in British Birds; no. The voices are so similar.
The single comes next. 'Lie Down With Dogs, Stand Up With Fleas' is so powerful. I will not repeat what I wrote before, but do want to point out the strong mix of Dogs Die ... with Kaiser Chiefs in one song. All while keeping itself in the song. Top song!
In all that follows, British Birds manage to keep that mix of a playful inventiveness and strong arrangements that together make interesting songs. By adding keyboard, alternating the lead vocals between Emma and Bobby. The result is a mix of pop and indie seriousness in the songs that can be called perfect. Again, in the way that Dogs Die In Hot Cars achieved on 'Please Describe Yourself' and Kaiser Chiefs on 'Employment'. British Birds puts itself on the same height of two of my favourite albums from the 00s with its new album Murmurate, Oscillate.
Let me pick out the title song as a final example. The song starts with a 1960 movie soundtrack bit that returns throughout the song, Emma sings like Nancy Sinatra could have and then the chorus hits us as a total surprise powertrack. Again, proof of how inventive this duo is.
Starlings fly over the house once again by their hundreds. As long as they do not settle in a tree around our house for the night. Their din just goes on and on. I put on Murmurate, Oscillate once more.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
You can listen to and order Murmurate, Oscillate here:
https://britishbirds.bandcamp.com/album/murmurate-oscillate
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