Isa & The Filthy Tongues are a one-girl/three-boy 4-piece, and Dark Passenger is their first album.
"Jim's Killer" throws down a marker straight away, the music being dark, guitar-driven pop that sounds similar to The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Velvet Underground, and a tiny bit "shoegaze", with the vocals being strikingly reminiscent of Blondie. This is a formula that continues throughout the album, with different influences and textures thrown in to keep things from being monotonous.
"New Town Killers" has an epic feel, and a male vocal which sets it apart from the previous track. The two vocalists, on the whole, alternate between songs. Girl-fronted "Honey For Sale" has a slight country twang, but remains guitar-based and quite dark, while "Moon Is Goon" could have replaced Simple Minds at the end of 80s teen flick The Breakfast Club.
"Big Blue" features excellent, shimmering guitar-playing and a bass-driven chorus. "Inside Out" features a whispered (male) vocal that builds towards the chorus, and manages to sound much more epic than the four-minutes or so it actually lasts.
This is followed by a trio of female-fronted tracks, "City Of Roses" which has more dance-oriented beats and jangly guitars, similar to the Stone Roses, "Memories" which is a slow-tempo lament, and the Sons & Daughters-esque "Beautiful Girl". This final track also has a hint of 60s pop too, adding yet another layer.
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"I'm With You" is a cracking song, with a bass guitar intro. leading to driving guitars and a boy/girl vocal on the chorus.
"Call Me" (no, not THAT one) is an upbeat dark-pop track, before "From the Treetops", a slow, brooding track with a shared boy/girl vocal that ends with a long, dark, droning outro, closes the album in style.
The bands that have influenced this album shine through, but because the songs, delivery and production are so good, I&TFT make the sound their own. The shared girl/boy vocals work really well, and the music has enough texture and variety within the overall sound to create a very enjoyable listening experience. This is a very promising debut release, and with the right exposure, will break through in 2010.
Well-worth checking out.
www.isandthefilthytongues.com
www.myspace.com/thefilthytongues
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