The aching, strummy pop of Rolling Blackouts CF grabs hold of your heart – Red Dirt Report

Posted: April 23, 2017 at 12:58 am

ALBUM REVIEW: Rolling Blackouts C.F. The French Press (Sub Pop Records) 2017

Melbourne, Australia-based Rolling Blackouts C.F. (C.F. is short for Coastal Fever), a melodic, indie-pop quintet, are a new band to me and bring to mind sounds I admired and enjoyed over 20 years ago, when bands like Velocity Girl, The Ocean Blue and Poole were charming the pants off folks with their sweet-n-sour lyrics and sugary instrumentation.

With The French Press, released on Seattles famous Sub Pop label, the literate and insightful Rolling Blackouts C.F. (think any number of bands on the defunct Sarah Records label) are following up on the critically-acclaimed Talk Tight.

With these six songs (making this recording more of an EP), Tom Russo (guitar/vocals); Joe Russo (bass); Joe White (vocals/keyboards/guitar); Fran Keaney (vocals, guitar); and Marcel Tussie (drums), click along on song-after-song.

A nice, rocking outro on French Press keeps my interest to the very last note, while Julies Place is classic indie-pop heaven.

These are some lovesick romantics, these Rolling Blackouts. But dont let that fact turn you off. These sounds are seemingly from another time. A smarter time. It almost seems out of place in The New Dumb of 2017.

But there you are. A pleasant surprise. So glad music like this is still being made.

I mean Dig Up, with its strummy, acoustic guitar intro and soft drums is almost reminiscent of the Beatles Things We Said Today. And lyrics like: I stand by / under marigold light / Seabirds in flight / Salt of the breeze / Crickets for company / Crickets and you.

Its too pretty and adorable, gang. Im a sucker for this stuff.

Sick Bug is reminiscent of melancholy, post-punk pop with some ringing guitar lines thrown in for good measure as the line I want you, I want you, I want you, I want you is repeated, in all urgency.

The sweet ache of Colours Run and Fountain of Good Fortune with its melancholy nature and poppy desires of unrequited love and youthful apprehensions grab you by the heart in a way.

Rolling Blackouts C.F. have something amazing. And The French Press is a great place to get acquainted.

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The aching, strummy pop of Rolling Blackouts CF grabs hold of your heart - Red Dirt Report

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