Not many
bands can claim to have made their live debut at the Vatican in front of
several eminent cardinals, performing as part of a mass at a ceremony there. In
fact, quite possibly only Cat’s Eyes can claim this. Formed by the front man of
The Horrors, Faris Badwan and his friend, vocalist (including opera), multi-instrumentalist
and composer Rachel Zeffira in 2010, ‘Treasure House’ is their 2nd
album proper though it does follow on from last year’s well received ‘The Duke of
Burgundy’ soundtrack.
The two began
working together as a result of Badwan introducing Zeffira to the sound of 60’s
girl groups and the production of Joe Meek amongst others, and this was evident
on the first album, 2011’s ‘Cat’s Eyes’. These influences are if anything even
more evident here, though boosted by an accompanying orchestral score
reminiscent of Scott Walkers 60’s masterpieces. Though opener and title track ‘treasure
House’ has a feel of the Syd Barrett’s about it, particularly in Badwan’s
vocal. ‘Drag’ is a sweet sounding song with a typical Zeffira vocal that maybe
describes the pairs relationship, ‘Oh the things we do when we’re together, If
they ever knew they would keep us apart’. ‘Chameleon Queen’ is another bittersweet
love song as Faris rejects his girls attempts at a reconciliation. A floating
horn motif underpins the understated croon (Faris is not a crooner in the aforementioned
Walker league but he’s pretty able here) though this lilting number is blown
apart by the scorching 60’s beat proto punk of ‘Be Careful Where You Park Your
Car’ and a perfect riposte from Zeffira from her mans rejections in the
previous song. ‘Standoff’ with Badwan back on lead is the closest thing here to
the Horrors and more modern sounding that what has preceded it though still
with a knowing nod to the past. It’s urgent, spiky, a drum driven beat song
that is the standoff of the situation described in the last two songs. The
album is moving with pace, and Zeffira moves back to centre stage with ‘Everything
Moves Towards the Sun’ as she looks back to her youth in Canada with an
expression of a wish to share that part of her life with a friend or a partner.
It’s pictorial, deft and slides the album towards its second half effortlessly
and with consummate quality.
‘The Missing
Hour’ finds Badwan back on lead, his developing croon growing in confidence.
The background synths evoke bagpipes before the orchestration washes over the
whole piece, a song about the clarity that the early hours can bring as night
turns to day. ‘Girl in The Room’ finds Zeffira singing of lost beauty and past
glories over a signature 60’s string arrangement and firmly strummed guitar.
The following ‘We’ll Be Waiting’ suggest there is a loss of life on the way
too, a hymnal organ sweeping in though there is comfort in the words ‘Don’t
turn, don’t look around, Don’t turn away, We’ll be waiting for you’. The story
continues on into ‘Names On the Mountains; as the departed pleads not to be forgotten,
the rugged Canadian countryside is drawn again, though the organ that underpins
this song is far jauntier than its predecessor even if it’s subject is not. The
short lyric for the closing ‘Teardrops’ offers little hope, repeating in its
twelve lines the couplet ‘Don’t you know, You’re Always on your own’ at the end
of each short stanza. Zeffira handles this closing vocal too, the first time
the album has carried a lead vocalist over from one track to another,
suggesting maybe the story comes more from her that Badwan maybe?
There is a
definite feel of a song cycle here, a life/love cycle, hard to pull a message
out though for me it seems to be not to waste the time we are given here on
earth and to follow your heart as you only get one shot at this thing called
life. The eleven tracks here barely scrape past the thirty-five-minute mark,
yet if you appreciate melancholy sixties pop and have stuck with the Horrors as
their sound has changed over the course of four startling albums then I’d recommend
you investigate ‘Treasure House’. It’s a gem.
8/10
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