Sound Of The Sirens
Album: A Long Way To Fall
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 9
Website: http://www.soundofthesirens.net

Exeter-based all-girl outfit Sound Of The Sirens originally appeared on the scene, as a trio, in 2009; according to their website, it was ostensibly conceived out of a desire to “create music to restore the credibility of female artists that have been destroyed by the relentless bombardment of TV “talent” shows”. Soon afterwards they released an EP (It’s Me, I’m Here) that by all accounts lived up to both the aforementioned credo and the disc’s title as a proud and confident calling-card announcing their arrival on the scene as an individual and highly credible act. I say by all accounts, for that release never got to me, more’s the pity.

Anyway, now here’s the followup release, a 27-minute mini-album (I’d hesitate to call it an EP) that presents a dizzying whirlwind parade of new original songs from Abbe and Hannah (yes, Sound Of The Sirens is now a duo). The opening acoustic-stomp rhythms of The Night Before usher in the two girls’ thrusting vocal harmonies and a forthright, if desperate lyric that takes no prisoners and insistently mirrors the restless and percussive instrumental backdrop. At first things seem to settle down a touch with In This Time, whose deceptively lyrical intro is soon replaced by a defiant mando-driven beat to celebrate its confident and optimistic aura. This is followed by the scary mix of conflicting feelings that is Afraid Of The Dark and what might be regarded as its emotional flipside, the pithy Anything Less. After which, the initial delicacy of expression of Up To The House, the sanguine numbness of emotion, almost belies the persistence one must show in the face of rejection.

The catchy syncopated mantra of Who We Are brings us back to earth, before the “enough is never enough” theme returns to haunt us on the enigmatic The Gift with its disturbing nightmare-like imagery. On the final pair of songs, A Thousand Words (there’s an oxymoron!) poundingly embraces both reassurance and devotion, before the closing vision of Faith In Fire powerfully mourns an imagined impending fate before its realisation and fearless conclusion. Content of the actual songs aside, Sound Of The Sirens possess a distinctive sound, the girls’ special trademark being their acute closeness and a telling binding-together of harmony and rhythm elements in the vocal lines which entirely matches their spiky, savvy, truthful lyrics.

David Kidman