Foreign Born 'Person To Person'

Once again, I have no idea who Foreign Born are. They were a chance discovery and a risk purchase. I bought this album because they are on Secretly Canadian and I trust them and also because I felt like hearing some new music. Might be good, might be bad, might be neither. I really need to find a job that pays better than my current one if I am going to take risks like this but as Steve Jobs once said...er..."You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart". So....there.

Anyway, this isn't a disappointment or a waste of money. Foreign Born, it turns out, are a folk-rock band from California and they play suitably summery, shimmery guitar-led stuff that is just perfect for the first few weeks of summer when its nice and warm, but not hot enough to make you irritable.

'Vacationing People' is still my favourite. Fuzzy guitar, harmonies, nice chorus. Singer Matt Popieluch (obviously I had to look that up) sounds a little Dylan-esque on 'Winter Games' and on 'Early Warnings' they sound like Kings Of Leon used to sound before they turned into U2.

What I like about this album is that it is short, snappy and never less that interesting. There are some great arrangements, memorable basslines, some cowbells, even a bit of brass....for a debut album it is quite adventurous.

So, lots of hooks, some great guitar and a bundle of ambition. An enjoyable summer record.

7.8

['Person to Person' is out now on Secretly Canadian]

Foreign Born

There are many things wrong with the Summer. The heat, for one. The number of 'fairweather swimmers' you find at swimming pools, for two. And the general lack of interesting new releases for three.

Nevermind, it'll be October soon and anyway there are some terrific gigs coming up (Tindersticks at Hyde Park in less than a fortnight!). In the meantime, there are a few odd, interesting records about. Secretly Canadian rarely release duds and it looks like their latest band, LA's 'Foreign Born' are another good discovery. Sounding like a meatier version of the Fleet Foxes, nice harmonies and soulful vocals but with more in the way of riffs and anthems, they release their debut album 'Person To Person' on Monday. There will be a review here next week, but for now, you can download a couple of tracks from it, from www.secretlycanadian.com for no cash at all. Bargain!