Review: Clare and the Reasons

Label: Frog Stand Records

Released: September 4, 2007

Clare and the Reasons find their inspiration somewhere between the old pop standards of the 40s and 50s and a vaudeville show, but their music is only partially a revival because they bring their modern selves into the mix. It's clearly intended to have a retro feel, yet all the years of pop music that have intervened are not ignored. There is a shiny, happy veneer and there's a darker side with a kind of film noir feel beneath (that's a bit less obvious than it is on the cover art). This duality runs throughout, but is most prominent in Clare's voice which is sexy, but more coy on the surface than overt. They avoid being too slick and occasionally little oddities give them a sense of independence and rebelliousness. With The Movie, Clare and the Reasons have gone back through pop music's past and applied an off-kilter sense of modern indie music that turns it slightly away from center. The result is is an album with a subtly dark undercurrent that successfully plays to both the past and present.

Rating: 7/10

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