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Album Details

• Artist: The Earlies
• Album: The Enemy Chorus
• Label: Secretly Canadian
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: mschmitt on 2007-01-13

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So many oddities, so little time. So, if you’re unfamiliar with The Earlies, get this: half the band lives in England, the other half in Texas. From what I understand, that sort of commute tends to get in the way of the creative process, so the band industriously started a system of "musical pen pals," using technology to craft an album full of songs. The UK release of These Were the Earlies and subsequent touring brought the group physically together for the first time, as well as swelling their numbers to 11. Interested yet? The Enemy Chorus is The Earlies latest work of trans-Atlantic music, and is a mish-mash of just about everything you could think to throw into an album—all grinded and blended for your pleasure. A orchestra of brass instruments pokes their way through in "No Love in Your Heart," as "Bad Is as Bad Does" simulates what it would be like if The Velvet Underground played on a train and "Found a Lion and Earth" experiments with a drugged-out Chicago sound (the band, not the city) . "Try to keep your eyes closed / This might take all night," declares The Earlies’ vocalist, transitioning from a rickety piano line in "Burn the Liars" into outerspace orbit with a slew of goofy and hypnotic out-of-this-world electronic effects. Getting the picture here? The Earlies never stay in one set rhythm or type of sound within one song, and it’s easy to get lost within the unsettling hold of The Enemy Chorus. From soft acoustic tear-drippers to full out African-drum grooves, The Earlies elude classification but not like-ability. Take away all the icing – that is, the goofy effects, varying genres of influence, and cheeky attitude – and you’re left with just some damn catchy songs. You listen to "When the Wind Blows" a few times, and tell me you won’t be humming it for the rest of the day. The Earlies have released a brilliantly wonderful album, despite the trans-oceanic commute.

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