IF spiky time signatures and foot-tapping tunes from bands you’ve never heard of get you going, then Dutch Uncles’ latest album is definitely worth seeking out.
Cadenza is part Sparks, part Glee, part MGMT, with another dozen influences you’ll definitely enjoy, and the band themselves cite The Smiths, XTC and Talking Heads as heroes.
The one letdown is the lack of memorable tunes, with only X-O and the title track sticking in the memory, but the quality of the music forgives this.
The Mancunian band met at primary school, and released their first album in Germany in 2009, and there’s a strong European vibe mixed with the confidence of a gang of friends.
Cadenza is at its best when the frantic guitars of Daniel Spedding and Peter Broadhead needle away under Duncan Wallis’s vocals, especially on The Ink and Dressage, but it’s charming, enjoyable, and worth repeated plays.
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