some of it was true!

The wise folk over at Rollo & Grady have included London outfit The High Wire on their acts to watch in 2010.  Intrigued and new to the band?  Yup, me too – despite the fact I learn they supported Coldplay in late 2008 at Chris Martin’s bequest.  Luckily I’ve now swotted up and here’s the lowdown…

A threepiece, The High Wire are purveyors of a trippy, post-euphoric pop.  This is music for skipping home after you might have fallen in love, arms out at right angle and head tipped back.  It’s music for reliving holiday memories or for secret thoughts behind sunglasses as the day slowly dies.   Think words like woozy, hazy, mellow and sedative.  If you want comparisons, try this: Memory Tapes meets the Sugababes, with hints of My Bloody Valentine. 

The Sugababes because although Tim Crompton is the chief vocalist, it’s Alexia Hagen’s swirling, rich sounds that most easily catch the ear.   The male/female collaboration isn’t quite as potent when The xx get warbling, but it still works nicely.  Tim and Stuart Peck play druggy guitars, and each song descends into a languid swell, sounding as if the volume’s purposefully set to soporific.  The only concern here might be similarity: after a while, many melodies sound a bit too identikit - although debut single Odds & Evens still exhilarates, its focus seemingly a little sharper than The High Wire’s other tunes.

There’s much more on The High Wire thanks to the Guardian here.  Their debut album Sleep Tape will be released by Grandpa Stan in March.

MySpace | Website | Buy | MP3: The High Wire – Odds & Evens