With the glut of polished "pop" alternative bands on the market, it's nice to hear a band that strides past the normal boundaries. Rollerskate Skinny is definitely a band that is wiggling its toes past the radio friendly limits. Fans of Lush who are bemoaning the "loss" of the band to commercial forces might find that Horsedrawn Wishes renews their faith in the major labels. Rollerskate Skinny fills their songs to brim with shimmering guitars, subdued vocals, and a beat that isn't in such a hurry to get wherever it's going. The first track, "Swingboat Yawning", is reminiscent of the whole "shoe gazer" genre that Lush typified in the early 90's, and it sets the tone for the entire album.
When they veer away from the "shoe gazer" sound, the band strikes of Love and Rockets in the way they experiment in the studio. Instead of just recording a song and mixing the levels in right, Rollerskate Skinny pokes and twists the basic tunes to a new musical plane. There isn't an instrument or voice which hasn't been echoed, distorted, or tweaked. In "Man Under Glass" and "Shimmer Son like a Star," alien whistles flutter peacefully underneath a thick layer of buzzing guitars. The ethereal vocals and acoustic guitars of "All Morning Break" are a welcome change from the full sound of the rest of the album and is the type of song which could have been an outtake from Love and Rocket's classic Earth Sun Moon album.
Other songs continue the studio exploration. "One Thousand Couples" reminds one of a Beatles psychedelica song, and "Thirsty European" even has hints of The Doors with a modern twist. "Bell jars away" is a faint throwback to the type of music Peter Gabriel made in the late seventies. It's a tender song softened with synthesized flute and punctuated with triangle chimes. The mood rises until it blooms near the end of the song in an impassioned display of layered vocal phrases. Lyrics like "I have thrown myself into your warm hold where you bless away the shivering" and "I'm weak with the rush of the chance I've taken" help make the song the silent gem on Horsedrawn Wishes.
Rollerskate Skinny definitely has an audience out there, and you know who you are. This is an excellent album that reveals something new on every repeat listen. Unfortunately, a new band like Rollerskate Skinny will have a tough time nudging it's way onto the radio. But, with the recent airplay of new songs by Lush and Love and Rockets, they might have a chance.
WWW users can check out Horsedrawn Wishes by pointing your browser to the Rollerskate Skinny site at http://www.rollerskateskinny.ie (click on "current release" icon).
