I love finding new bands that actually make me excited, it doesn't really happen often enough.
The idea of hearing yet another band mixing up electronica and "guitar" music is usually enough to have you heading for the hills for fear of yet another band of misguided pill heads swearing blind that they're the new Primal Scream.
The Pangs have managed to blend the two so perfectly it's almost unbelievable that we haven't heard of them before. Revolving around vocalist and songwriter Jim Wood, the band build a world of beats which are eminently danceable and a lush layer of sound affects and gliches for Wood and us to lose ourselves in. Come the chorus and Wood's delicate vocals have got us thinking of those lazy summer afternoons when we used to get a bit stoned and listen to the more laid back aspects of Supergrass (Shotover Hill for example).
The real killer on this single however, comes from Wood's solo performance of Warm Sand. A bluesy lament which far from being lazy and uninspired, shows Wood as a handy guitar player, and an amazing vocalist. If he isn't hailed as the new Jeff Buckley within the next six months I'll be stunned. His tone and grace is superb, and not once does his emotion sound forced, you can imagine many vocalists would be tempted to do just that with a song like this.
The Pangs then: two great songs, a great new band, and one of the most exciting vocalists we've heard in a long time. You'd be a fool to miss them.
share with:
