Artist:   Cults
Title:    Cults
Label:    Columbia
Genre:    Indie
Bitrate:  266kbit av.
Time:     00:33:41
Size:     67.73 mb
Rip Date: 2011-05-30
Str Date: 2011-05-30

01. Abducted                                                      2:53
02. Go Outside                                                    3:24
03. You Know What I Mean                                          2:31
04. Most Wanted                                                   3:05
05. Walk At Night                                                 3:08
06. Never Heal Myself                                             3:02
07. Oh My God                                                     3:20
08. Never Saw The Point                                           3:04
09. Bad Things                                                    3:40
10. Bumper                                                        2:42
11. Rave On                                                       2:52

Release Notes:

Before we jump into Cults, let's get one thing out of the way: this is
some seriously twee stuff. Anybody who heard the Brooklyn band's
self-released 7" on Bandcamp last year could tell you that Madeline
Follin's voice is a precious, high-pitched little thing, and that the
band's penchant for twinkling keyboards and reverb (not to mention
their fashionably un-Google-able name) practically screamed "indie pop"
in capital letters and red print. Cults can't help the fact that they
fall squarely into a genre riddled with annoying signifiers and
industry-constructed wannabes, but they can take those basic elements
that make the best '60s-inflected indie pop tick and combine them into
fantastic songs that have an uncanny ability to lodge their way firmly
into your head. That's hardly easy to do, but Cults pull it off - and
then some.

Because while Cults' songs are far from complex, they aren't simple.
The little guitar slide in "Abducted" that kicks the album into high
gear is a perfectly placed flourish executed tightly and efficiently, a
far cry from the self-consciously lazy stylings found in bands
occupying similar mid-century revivalist territory. Clever touches
abound, providing these songs with an appealingly quick pulse and just
enough bounce to be completely charming. The phrase "summer music" has
been invoked so many times with regards to this album that I'm loathe
to use it again, but this stuff just sounds sunny and breezy. All of
which makes the album's decidedly sinister touches that much more
effective. "Never Saw The Point" starts out cute enough, with Follin
singing, "I never saw the point in trying / 'cause I would only let you
down". But then she sings, in that exact same tone, "And I just
couldn't bring you down there with me / I just can't stand to see you
drown". All of a sudden, the song's lilting arrangement takes on
another dimension, suggesting recurrent anxiety instead of buoyancy.

This contrast between light and dark was found on the band's very first
single, "Go Outside", which opened with the notorious cult leader Jim
Jones intoning, "To me, death is not a fearful thing. It's living
that's treacherous." In its earlier incarnation, the quote felt a bit
like an extraneous addition for the sake of giving the band an "edge"
that befitted their name, but in context, it feels appropriate. Because
while it's a stretch to say that Cults are exploring the relationship
between life and death with their music, the delicate push-and-pull
between heartbreak and humor is a constant presence here. When they
revert to the latter mode, as Follin does when singing, "I could never
be myself, so fuck you," the result is winning. But then we have "You
Know What I Mean", a deceptively cheerful ditty filled with
uncertainty: "Help me 'cause I'm feeling shaky / tell me what's wrong
with my brain, 'cause I seem to have lost it." The sentiment is
intensified by Follin's deliberately sweet tone, which could just as
easily be interpreted as being eerily clear-eyed. There are brief
moments in Cults where a more nuanced approach to vocals would be much
appreciated (and the superb, Belle and Sebastian-esque "Bumper" hints
at how galvanizing such a development would be), but for the most part,
the singularity that Follin communicates is immediate and convincing.

It's largely due to this urgency that Cults is such a breathless and
exhilarating album, and such a fun one - for all its darker hues, this
is music that slams a smile onto your face. Listening to it, I'm
reminded of Sleigh Bells' superb Treats, not because Cults is a
particularly close sonic relative of that Brooklyn boy-girl duo's
decibel-busting pop; rather, both bands establish their aesthetic
clearly, work within its narrow boundaries, and spin aural bliss out of
it. Sure, it's a bit homogeneous, but when the songs are this good and
exciting, that's hardly a major drawback. Besides, if Cults can't win
you over with their music, they'll win you over with sheer force. As
they exhort themselves, "rave on". Who am I to disobey?



This NFO File was rendered by NFOmation.net

Artist:   Cults
Title:    Cults
Label:    Columbia
Genre:    Indie
Bitrate:  266kbit av.
Time:     00:33:41
Size:     67.73 mb
Rip Date: 2011-05-30
Str Date: 2011-05-30

01. Abducted                                                      2:53
02. Go Outside                                                    3:24
03. You Know What I Mean                                          2:31
04. Most Wanted                                                   3:05
05. Walk At Night                                                 3:08
06. Never Heal Myself                                             3:02
07. Oh My God                                                     3:20
08. Never Saw The Point                                           3:04
09. Bad Things                                                    3:40
10. Bumper                                                        2:42
11. Rave On                                                       2:52

Release Notes:

Before we jump into Cults, let's get one thing out of the way: this is
some seriously twee stuff. Anybody who heard the Brooklyn band's
self-released 7" on Bandcamp last year could tell you that Madeline
Follin's voice is a precious, high-pitched little thing, and that the
band's penchant for twinkling keyboards and reverb (not to mention
their fashionably un-Google-able name) practically screamed "indie pop"
in capital letters and red print. Cults can't help the fact that they
fall squarely into a genre riddled with annoying signifiers and
industry-constructed wannabes, but they can take those basic elements
that make the best '60s-inflected indie pop tick and combine them into
fantastic songs that have an uncanny ability to lodge their way firmly
into your head. That's hardly easy to do, but Cults pull it off - and
then some.

Because while Cults' songs are far from complex, they aren't simple.
The little guitar slide in "Abducted" that kicks the album into high
gear is a perfectly placed flourish executed tightly and efficiently, a
far cry from the self-consciously lazy stylings found in bands
occupying similar mid-century revivalist territory. Clever touches
abound, providing these songs with an appealingly quick pulse and just
enough bounce to be completely charming. The phrase "summer music" has
been invoked so many times with regards to this album that I'm loathe
to use it again, but this stuff just sounds sunny and breezy. All of
which makes the album's decidedly sinister touches that much more
effective. "Never Saw The Point" starts out cute enough, with Follin
singing, "I never saw the point in trying / 'cause I would only let you
down". But then she sings, in that exact same tone, "And I just
couldn't bring you down there with me / I just can't stand to see you
drown". All of a sudden, the song's lilting arrangement takes on
another dimension, suggesting recurrent anxiety instead of buoyancy.

This contrast between light and dark was found on the band's very first
single, "Go Outside", which opened with the notorious cult leader Jim
Jones intoning, "To me, death is not a fearful thing. It's living
that's treacherous." In its earlier incarnation, the quote felt a bit
like an extraneous addition for the sake of giving the band an "edge"
that befitted their name, but in context, it feels appropriate. Because
while it's a stretch to say that Cults are exploring the relationship
between life and death with their music, the delicate push-and-pull
between heartbreak and humor is a constant presence here. When they
revert to the latter mode, as Follin does when singing, "I could never
be myself, so fuck you," the result is winning. But then we have "You
Know What I Mean", a deceptively cheerful ditty filled with
uncertainty: "Help me 'cause I'm feeling shaky / tell me what's wrong
with my brain, 'cause I seem to have lost it." The sentiment is
intensified by Follin's deliberately sweet tone, which could just as
easily be interpreted as being eerily clear-eyed. There are brief
moments in Cults where a more nuanced approach to vocals would be much
appreciated (and the superb, Belle and Sebastian-esque "Bumper" hints
at how galvanizing such a development would be), but for the most part,
the singularity that Follin communicates is immediate and convincing.

It's largely due to this urgency that Cults is such a breathless and
exhilarating album, and such a fun one - for all its darker hues, this
is music that slams a smile onto your face. Listening to it, I'm
reminded of Sleigh Bells' superb Treats, not because Cults is a
particularly close sonic relative of that Brooklyn boy-girl duo's
decibel-busting pop; rather, both bands establish their aesthetic
clearly, work within its narrow boundaries, and spin aural bliss out of
it. Sure, it's a bit homogeneous, but when the songs are this good and
exciting, that's hardly a major drawback. Besides, if Cults can't win
you over with their music, they'll win you over with sheer force. As
they exhort themselves, "rave on". Who am I to disobey?



This NFO File was rendered by NFOmation.net