Troumaca - Virgin Island EP, Review

http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/16262/

I can't believe It's taken me this long to write a blog about Troumaca*, after all whenever anyone talks about B-Town, Peace, Swim Deep, and Troumaca are always the main three bands people mention. These 3 bands are practically the holy trinity of B-Town.
While the two aforementioned bands have albums out soon ('In Love' 5 days! eep!) Troumaca have taken a slower route to success. They are now on Ghostpoet's old label Brownswood and things are sounding good. If I'm honest i didn't like Troumaca's Début EP,  it wasn't bad but I felt it wasn't punchy enough and while it was an interesting sound it just felt a bit bland.

The Virgin Island EP shows a massive improvement, the production is punchier and the songs have more direction. The hallmarks of the B-Town sound are all there, It's subtle and mellow yet with a kick to it. the vocals are hidden in the mix with sounds layered on top of each other. The influences are obviously Dub and psychedelia and they've been woven together to add up to a unqiue sound. Remember that with Steel Pulse and UB40 haling from these parts Brum has pedigree in dub/ska/reggae, so its nice to see a band keeping up the trend.

'My Love' is the EPs opener, its a slow burner but from the start its full of subtle overlayering, and echoed vocals, it suddenly blasts into a solid Dub rhythm, the vibe is a happy summery one, like the video it makes you think of summer, one that's so bright and hot and beautiful that it will only exist in your imagination.
Its has a lot of growing potential, you can find new things in each listen even if it is working out what the guys singing about.

'Lady Colour' is a similar track, its the same vibe as the last track but without the same rhythm, its more laid back, with piano and subtle guitar making their way amongst electronic womps and loops

'Clouds (Caresser Les Nuages)' mixes a sort of organ sound with fast spoken vocals and and dub rhythm, its the most danceable track here, it's difficult to explain something as futuristic and forward thinking on the first few listens, but its a good song.

The EP's rounded of by a 'Dub' version of My Love that to me just sounds like a instrumental of the first version, but for all I know it might not be, the differences between the two versions will occur to me the more I listen to them. music like this grows on you so the more I listen the more little details I'm likely to discover and the more likely I am to love it.

http://www.facebook.com/Troumacamusic

* It's pronounced TRU-MUH-KUH by the way. Your welcome. 


P.S. I'm going on holiday for a few days so there will be no new blogs until Sunday