Released just 364 days after their debut album, the brothers Champion have a new album, looking to accelerate the matter in hand (ie, get themselves out there as much as possible), and capitalise on the current zeitgeist for harmony singing a la Fleet Foxes and The Staves, just two acts who have helped re-introduce the idea of voices, pure and simple, and raw and packed with natural emotion. By fusing the harmonics of the aforementioned Fleet Foxes with a haunting, and sparser Bicycle Bombay Club and Hot Chip aesthetic, both musically and vocally, Michael Champion's lead voice reminiscent of both Jack Steadman and Alexis Taylor. .
While Down Like Gold was little more than a well put together demo, a mix of heartbreak balladry and spirited folk-pop, this time around they've recruited the services of French producer Dimitri Tikovoï, in fashioning a better produced record, helped by the consistently high quality songs. But the spareness within the debut remains, some songs often feature just acoustic guitar and/or keys. And the heartbreak continues… It's a sound and feeling that could perhaps only come from a place such as the Isle of Wight, where the brothers were born and raised, an island many-a-time portrayed and parodied as being a little bit behind the times, helped immeasurably by the fact you can still only get there by boat…
"It definitely is a bit behind the times," says younger brother David. "If you look at some of the seaside places like Shanklin or Sandown they look the same as they did 50 years ago when they were in the heyday, maybe in need of a lick of paint. But it's quite charming in a way, it's quite evocative… it's a different pace to life, people are a bit out of it to be honest, cruising around not knowing what's really going on, which is nice…"
"It started with explosions, the sounds of bombs in your heart," begins Desire, the most chart friendly song on the album, as Michael Champion's wistful and angelic voice imparts that feeling of initial, explosive love, before fading ("echoing") as love almost invariably does. The voices are what marks out Champs, what draws you into their unique world, but Desire also has a terrific mid-tempo groove underlying the strong vocal melody, while following track Sophia marries the two Johns, Grant and Lennon, in its piano based simplicity, the melodic vocal transforming the easy-going beat into an elegant love song.
The Champs eclectic approach is further highlighted by the pleasantly underplayed staccato African flavoured guitar on The Gentle Running, underpinned by a simple synthetic beat, while the gorgeous old school acoustic finger picking guitar flavours of Forever recalls early Simon & Garfunkel, heightened by the fact that the song features New York within the narrative.
While Down Like Gold was little more than a well put together demo, a mix of heartbreak balladry and spirited folk-pop, this time around they've recruited the services of French producer Dimitri Tikovoï, in fashioning a better produced record, helped by the consistently high quality songs. But the spareness within the debut remains, some songs often feature just acoustic guitar and/or keys. And the heartbreak continues… It's a sound and feeling that could perhaps only come from a place such as the Isle of Wight, where the brothers were born and raised, an island many-a-time portrayed and parodied as being a little bit behind the times, helped immeasurably by the fact you can still only get there by boat…
"It definitely is a bit behind the times," says younger brother David. "If you look at some of the seaside places like Shanklin or Sandown they look the same as they did 50 years ago when they were in the heyday, maybe in need of a lick of paint. But it's quite charming in a way, it's quite evocative… it's a different pace to life, people are a bit out of it to be honest, cruising around not knowing what's really going on, which is nice…"
"It started with explosions, the sounds of bombs in your heart," begins Desire, the most chart friendly song on the album, as Michael Champion's wistful and angelic voice imparts that feeling of initial, explosive love, before fading ("echoing") as love almost invariably does. The voices are what marks out Champs, what draws you into their unique world, but Desire also has a terrific mid-tempo groove underlying the strong vocal melody, while following track Sophia marries the two Johns, Grant and Lennon, in its piano based simplicity, the melodic vocal transforming the easy-going beat into an elegant love song.
The Champs eclectic approach is further highlighted by the pleasantly underplayed staccato African flavoured guitar on The Gentle Running, underpinned by a simple synthetic beat, while the gorgeous old school acoustic finger picking guitar flavours of Forever recalls early Simon & Garfunkel, heightened by the fact that the song features New York within the narrative.
There’s also a terrific tune in Send Me Down as Michael lowers his voice, taking on a late 60s Bob Dylan hue, while the chorus once again features the brothers in unison, accompanied by simple rhythm guitar and sparse piano. 3000 Miles again shows their pop pedigree, albeit still wrapped in subtle melancholy, as does the mini-euphoria of Blood, a song about ties and roots: "I could stay here 'til I'm dead, here my blood runs clear/ It's bittersweet, it's bittersweet, I wouldn't change a thing." Vocally, Roll Me Out also sounds uncannily like it could have been recorded in the 60s, such is the raw and organic warmth emanating from the production.
The title track, Vamala ("He thought it was a Croatian girl's name, but found out it wasn't, so he's not really sure where it came from!" says David, of his brother) again features a strong vocal melody and performance with understated staccato acoustic guitar and moody organ. Not surprisingly, the subject matter revolves around reaching out to someone. Perhaps a Croatian girl…?
The Champs could have decided to multiply the textures and instrumentation on Vamala, and it's to their credit that they have decided to largely keep things simple, concentrating on the vocals and the melodies, their trump cards, with the overall effect one of mildly desolate sadness that is maturely articulated.
Indeed, Champs' eclectic brew of hymnal atmospherics, old timey folk and pop flavours is champion!
Jeff Hemmings