Good Weather For Airstrikes

The Shortwave Set are a “folk” trio that make beautiful, sample-based pop music. I know that’s a fairly confusing description, but try to follow me. The Shortwave Set craft songs from samples taken from old 50 bargain-bin records and then write and perform folk songs over them, creating a very interesting, textured pop sound, and I’m really surprised there isn’t more coverage of them in the blogosphere. Formed in the summer of 2002, they released their first single, “Slingshot”, on the Slingshot EP in 2004. Now, not to be lazy, but I’ll let the band’s cleverly-written bio tell the rest of the story:

“Slingshot” was lauded as the definitive first single; not least in respect of the widely accepted view that nobody could recall any previous releases. Over the following two years more music was eked out and recorded. The band subsisted on a diet of own brand supermarket lager, Bombay mix (the hot orange ones), and purity of intention. Such messianic dedication to the cause had inevitable social fallout, but although they hemorrhaged friends and cash at an equal rate, the good work continued unabated. Currently, the band are busy watching telly in a one bedroom flat in SE London having just released their first album; the Victorian Funk masterwork entitled “The Debt Collection”. The record was made in the front room using a handful of 50p charity shop records, clumsily cut up on a laptop computer, over the top of which songs were carefully crafted and overlaid. The floor remains littered with a variety of vinyl, battered old instruments, electronics, and empty tobacco packets through which you can, if you look closely enough, still make out the threadbare carpet beneath.

Their debut album, the aforementioned Debt Collection, is indeed wonderful and while I don’t exactly have much experience listening to “Victorian Funk”, the label is strangely appropriate for this album. My favorite song is “Is It Any Wonder?”, which revolves around a vintage piano sample, over which the group adds layers of guitars, other after-effects and Swedish lead singer Ulrika Bjorsne’s honey-smooth vocals. “Slingshot” has a very classic, very ’60’s Beatles feel, and - similarly to “Is It Any Wonder?” - revolves around another twinkling vintage piano sample. Follow-up single “Repeat To Fade” is one of the songs on the album exemplifying the bands “folktronica” sound, and Ulrika Bjorsne’s vocals on the “repeat to fade” chorus are startingly reminiscent of Neko Case’s on many of the choruses of New Pornographers songs. Actually take back what I said about her vocals being “startingly reminiscent” of Neko Case on “Repeat To Fade”, in actuality they sound exactly like Neko Case, anyone else feel the same way? Download these three songs below, and be sure to check out the rest of their album, available in the US on iTunes here.

MP3s:
“Is It Any Wonder?” - The Shortwave Set [highly recommended]
“Repeat To Fade” - The Shortwave Set [highly recommended]
“Slingshot” - The Shortwave Set

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 29th, 2006 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.