- Mon, 2011-07-18 14:13
London duo Alpines may only have taken their first baby-steps in the music industry, but already their striking visual aesthetic and pristine, icy pop suggests a band with the ambition and vision to make a big name for themselves. Employing imagery that blends quasi-mystical symbolism with avant-garde catwalk fashion, the duo create a stark but compelling sound that feeds off the power-struggle between Catherine Pockson’s dramatic vocals (think Elly Jackson of La Roux, only more robust) and Bob Matthews’ crisp, expansive beats (one foot in eighties electro-pop and the other in the post-dubstep of Jamies xx, Woon and Blake).
Alpines’ next single will be Cocoon, a song that is bound to increase their already growing profile and may even attract some mainstream interest. Ringing piano chords, juddering trip-hop bass and shuffling beats build up to a chorus whose impact derives from its spaciousness (it carries a slight echo of Magnetic Man’s I Need Air; no bad thing given that song’s popularity). As audio alone it’s a good example of intelligent modern pop, but it really comes into its own when accompanied by a simple, stylish and faintly melodramatic (but in a good way) video, which serves as a perfect visual representation of the band’s general ethos. If there continues to be a widespread taste for this kind of stark, electronic pop then Alpines are sure to do well.
