Little Red : 'Listen To Little Red'
Released: 9th November 2009
Label: Lucky Number
It's fair to say that indie is a somewhat overpopulated genre; with bands springing two a penny it is often a challenge to sift through the average ones to find a hidden gem. Yet every now and then a band come along that make it worth it, offering a new interpretation and doing it well. Little Red are one of these bands. Much more than just another indie band, Listen To Little Red is a genre transcending album full of talent.
What sets a band apart from others is often their versatility and variety, distancing themselves from tired old formulas and stereotypes. And this is something Little Red appear to understand very clearly. Opening track “Coca Cola”, despite it's rather corporate name, is a slice of indie gold, twangy guitars and and pulsing basslines abound. Similarly “Stare In Love” follows suit, yet with a more stripped down, slower melody. However, delve deeper into the album and other influences come to the fore in a refreshing way. “It's Alright” features group vocals The Beach Boys would be proud of, blending simple melodies into a sixties feel that works perfectly. “So Long” also offers a taste from the past, with four bar blues at the heart of it's catchy melody. With the presence of vocal harmonies once more, it's simple, retro premise is once again a winning formula.
Behind such a successful song structure lies instrumentation filled with innovation and style. On the more modern influenced tracks, slick guitaring and robust basslines are the order of the day. “Waiting” sees gritty riffs support strong vocals, whilst in stark contrast “Little Jackie Cooper” takes a blues inspired lead complete with saxophone and tambourines. It is very rare that a band could fuse such contrasting sounds onto one album, let alone have the know how pull them off so well.
Yet that is an accurate summation of Little Red's talents. Despite the illogical nature of such contrasting influences on paper, the band intertwine them superbly to create an album of variety and style, with creative ability and great musical talent at the fore of their success. Listen To Little Red is a testament to these talents and, with such a straightforward title, a very worthy instruction as well.
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