Arrivederci, Simone.

I really, really want to like Au Revoir, Simone. On paper they sound great. An indie band from NY. The reviews have always been good. Many of these have compared the band to the likes of Slowdive or the (great) Cocteau twins even, talking of wistful, dreamy pop tunes and breathy ethereal vocals. I had visons of hearing a modern Marine Girls or new Sundays or maybe some new version of reinvented shoegazing dream pop. I would be happy with them just being a modern Tom Tom Club even.

Having finally got around to hearing 'The Bird of Music', I was soooooo disappointed! I keep waiting for the songs to start properly, or for the music to to go somewhere or to just ... do something! After several attempts to listen to the album, I ghive up because it still just washes over me like music in an elevator. No worse actually , because I have to stop the urge to jump to then next track. Even the supermarket has better background music these days. What should sound like Nouvelle Vague, without the tongue in cheek attitude, just ends up sounding flatter than Dido on a bad day.

I fear that they try to hard to be twee or are holding back in a misguided attempt to stay indie or just aren't actually interesting. Whatever the case, I give up. I wish them well, but I do not like Au revoir, Simone.


Au Revoir, Simone do not sound anything like Slowdive.

On the other hand, I really did NOT want to like Tegan and Sara. The thought of a pair of adolescent Canadian, helium-filled, girly-Avril Lavignesqe vocals backed by sparse noise from guitar and occasional plink-plonk tune of a toy piano was too horrible to contemplate and the mere idea of it made we want to retreat into the comfortable gloom of, say, X-mal Deutschland just to purge the whole idea from my brain!

But I am honest enough to admit when I am wrong. It's the complete reverse of Aur Revoir, Simone - while all the elements sound awful individually, when put together they just work and I can't say why. I can, however, see why The White Stripes covered 'Walking With the Ghost', because whatever Tegan and Sara have, they have it by the bucketful. I like them and despite the fact that they have got into my head, I don't mind having them there for the moment.

It could prove difficult trying to explain to people why it is I'm listening to Canadian chipmunks, though.

For your listening pleasure (or otherwise), in addition to the well titled Sad Song and a T & S oldie, I've also included Nouvelle BVague's unique cover of the Dead Kennedys 'Too Durnk to Fuck'.

Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song
Tegan and Sara - I Bet It Stung
Nouvelle Vague - Too Drunk To Fuck