Girls Names / Brilliant Colors

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4...according to our Clinton on Fri 26 Nov, 2010.

The couple of Brilliant Corners....sorry Brilliant Colors previous releases I've heard have been nothing short of shocking but this is a vast improvement. Like their name they steal wholeheartedly from the mid 80's jangle pop scene, But first it's Belfast's Girls Names with 'I Love' which is a vibrant jangly indie tune with bright, sharp guitars and murmured indistinct male vocals. Could actually be a miniature kindergarten REM at play? The B side by BC features the female vocalist I've heard before, always slightly flat but it doesn't really matter does it in the whole scheme of things? Its bright ringing 60's influenced guitar pop with everything just that bit blurry and indistinct that it retains a nice hazy edge. Think Shop Assistants, Close Lobsters etc.

Slumberland (US) and Tough Love (UK) team up to release a split 7” featuring a track apiece from Belfast’s Girls Names and San Francisco’s Brilliant Colors. Released on 23rd November, the record is limited to just 600 copies worldwide and features artwork designed by Brilliant Colors’ singer, Jess Scott. Girls Names formed in Belfast in January 2009 with their first gig booked before the duo had even played together. In their short existence they’ve quickly streamlined their sound, forging their own self-styled “disposable noise pop” reminiscent of the 80s shadow world of Black Tambourine and Felt. They’ve been prolific too, honing their sound over the course of several releases, including an EP on Captured Tracks and a mini album on Tough Love. “I Lose” represents the next step in their evolution. Recorded as a three piece for the first time, the track is driven by an insistent cyclical riff, punctuated by Cathal Cully’s deceptively assured croon. Entitled “I Lose” as a response to Brilliant Colors track on the flip, the song is charged with a confidence that belies its title, Cully lifting two fingers to the past as he intones: “I don’t miss my old life”. The first of their new recordings, “I Lose” bodes well for their forthcoming debut album in early 2011. San Francisco’s Brilliant Colors have staked-out a unique spot in the indie music landscape, inspired in equal parts by post-punk DIY fervor and the spiky pop of C86 and early Flying Nun/Creation label output. Their 2009 album, Introducing combined guitar buzz with dreamy melodies and rushing rhythms, forming a startling blend of The Dils and Shop Assistants. Fresh off the simultaneous release of singles on Slumberland and Make-A-Mess, and a UK tour with La La Vasquez, Brilliant Colors have hit the studio again to record “You Win”, this time with the estimable Ty Segall. Driven by an absurdly catchy vocal melody and the band’s now trademark distorted guitars, “You Win” is another anthem in Brilliant Colors’ ever-growing catalog, offering a superb taster for their new album, due Spring 2011.

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