Label: Pitch Beast Records
Release date: 24/01/11
www.theveils.com :Official Site
Troubles Of The Brain is the first EP from The Veils since their departure from Rough Trade after almost 9 years and although leaving the cradle of Indie comfort that Geoff Travis and company offer, they seem to have taken the best parts and milked that puppy dry before moving on to pastures new. On the new EP here we have championed producer and Indie rock legend Bernard Butler behind the desk along with Finn Andrews and this is a move that may turn out to be the smartest of their ongoing career. The EP starts with the track 'Bloom' that lays the template for the muse throughout. The arrangement itself matches the title and blooms and builds up adding layer upon layer and transforms into a great indie pop gem. It continues with the Marc Bolan type 'Don't Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice' which really confirms to me that The Veils indeed mean business and are throwing the melodies and hooks out thick and fast especially here with oh lord hand claps as well, yes I feel I will be humming this for months to come. Expecting a mid EP lull in the running order I'm happily surprised when 'The Stars Came Out Once The Lights Went Out' and offer a definite contender for hit single. Its rolling drums and circular piano figure (I have no idea what that means either just go with me here) its bouncy, fun. Like The Cure if they'd played 'Love Cats' in rainbow t-shirts instead of goth makeup. I suppose it had to happen. 'The Wishbone' entered the fray and although it has a americana feel to it and perfectly melodic and interesting with its heavy off beat drum track it does stick out in this 7 track listing like…well a wishbone, if it was stuck in your throat. 'Grey Lynn Park' pulls the reigns back and steadies the ship with this Arcade Fire type slow burning track. The rest of the running order includes 'Us Godless Teenagers' and 'Iodine And Iron' and both are slow folky acoustic affairs that don't ever get off the ground. The former is probably the better out of the two in my opinion, although that isn't really saying much when compared to the early songs of the listing here which stand up as extremely strong indie floor fillers. Overall if this EP is a sample of new things to come from The Veils I hope they go down the road the first 3-4 songs have promised as opposed to the later tracks which are missing the sparks of the previous.
'Originally posted on The 405'
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