Let’s Whisper/ Keep A Secret? EP/ Weepop!
In my mind, indie pop is a genre with a terrible reputation. Most people associate it with such things as sweaters, elitism, sad British boys, cats, and copious amounts of la-la-la’s. They play with fast guitars that jangle and follow the standard verse/chorus/verse. This became so much the standard that twee pop (what all this represents) became the generic term for indie pop in the states. While there are certain bands that I can pin this on (Tullycraft, I’m looking at you), I want to tell you, the reader, that 99% of indie pop doesn’t sound like what I mentioned.
The underground is teeming with indie pop bands that are touring the country, continually producing, and have no sense of coyness. One example is Let’s Whisper.
Made up of Dana Kaplan and Colin Clary, both members of indie pop veteran band the Smittens, the Burlington, VT-based duo have been working together for quite a while. The unity between the two of them can be heard on the mini-EP Keep A Secret?. In a total run time is 11 minutes, Dana and Colin (all of the press materials are written with the first name like Beat Happening) mix quality songwriting and instrumentation into a neat little package. The production is sharp and the mix is quite nice, putting the vocals clearly in the forefront while never sacrificing details like cleanly picking up the guitar picking or letting the drum machine click gently in the background without overpowering anything else.
To move to the actual music, the four songs offered on the EP are split into two and two. “California Girls” and “Meet Me On The Dancefloor” are the two dancefloor burners. While I generally never say this about indie pop, I would not be surprised to hear “Meet Me On The Dancefloor” as the opener to an indie dance night somewhere in the world. It has a deep four-on-the-floor beat and a catchy guitar riff. It makes you want to meet someone on the dancefloor. “California Girls” is the car song, the one you listen to and sing along with as you drive through a lovely sunny day. The chorus is instantly infectious, and the instrumentation (drum machines, guitars, and vocal harmonies) just makes you want to move. These were my two favorite tracks on the album.
While I did like the dance tracks, the slower tracks “Snowy Sunday” and “Holly in Wintertime” were also fantastic. Dana sings “Snowy Sunday” and Colin does “Holly in Wintertime.” Both are well played and well sung by the band. Each song is taken on alone with only some light accompaniment from the other. They are both rather touching songs scored with acoustic guitars and covered with the sound of being alone. If you’ve been alone, you know what it’s sounds like to be by yourself in a room with nothing else happening. It’s scary, sparse, spacious. It’s also rather welcoming and friendly, a sound that anyone can relate to when they understand what it means to truly be alone. If I had to judge the two sides, this was the weaker side of the album for me. On the other hand, both sides are very strong, so, really, the slower songs were only slightly weaker than the dancers.
If there is one thing that I can complain about in relationship to this album, it is the fact that it comes in a terrible format: 3″ mini CD. If you are wondering what that is, you should count your lucky stars that you do not know. In all seriousness, it’s one of my least favorite formats. I was going to put up a sample track from this album, but I have a slot-loading CD drive, which means that I cannot put the small CD into my computer without it being fished out with a pair of tweezers and accompanied by a string of expletives.
While the CD is an irritant, the liner notes informed me that Keep A Secret? is only a warm-up to something greater. As the notes say, “there’s more coming!” If this EP is a sampling of what’s coming next, I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. This was one of the more enjoyable listens that I’ve had in recent memory. It was exciting, creative, and genuinely interesting. The first time I listened to this EP, I listened to it on repeat for an hour straight. Even in writing this review, I’ve listened to it another 3 times and hum the chorus to “California Girls” while I’m walking around. If you have any interest in indie pop, I highly recommend this wee EP. It’s proof positive that indie pop isn’t dead, but in fact, that it is still growing.
