A new six track EP (LP?) of mystery and imagination from enigmatic Cambridge songwriter/performer Trick Bird. Who knows, it may or may not be named after the semi-cult Francis Ford Coppola movie, a film that portrays some of the paranoia that seems to pervade many of these tracks?
1. Holly Holy. Up-tempo opener rolls along nicely with some glistening guitar and irresistible hookline chorus. Not sure who the heroine is but she sounds like potential trouble, lovely sparkling short solo near the end.
2. Can You See Me? Overlapping and echoing vocals at the start then the ‘band’ crashes in to turn this into the most immediate track on the album, a sort of brooding, pulsing, melodrama in the style of underrated electronic troubadours Teleman.
3. Our Lives. An organ driven sound on this song, including some 1970s type built in percussion patterns. The different musical textures drift in and out and a wistful but sinister vocal describing scientific advances and their consequences.
4. The Conversation. The longest track on the album, staring with a country harmonica vibe it is a duet with talented guest vocalist Gabriella Davalos about a disconnected relationship (‘…when twenty-six letters aren’t enough any more…’). Another voice and a soundtrack sample is in the background; it is a complex, rich and rewarding track with a possible fantastical resolution (‘…you dream of riding wild horses in fields of gold…’)
5. Eye To Eye. A short and subtle ballad with combining voices backed with smooth and evocative strings from Cambridge musician Sharon Sullivan of the band Keltrix.
6. Another Heist. A simple descending chord figure on the piano is given plenty of space, driving the song above a montage of passing sampled sirens and featuring a floating, dream-like lyric.
And don’t forget the amazing cover art…
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