Big Scary – Spring EP

Thu 11th Nov, 2010 in Music Reviews

These Big Scary kids are a couple of clever cookies. Earlier in the year the hype around them was beginning to build and they featured on no fewer than six “Bands to watch in 2010” lists. But rather than rushing an album in order to transform that hype into a slight bump in airplay and album sales, they decided to take the road less traveled and set about learning how to be a kickass band.

That’s not to say that they weren’t already a kickass band. Tom Iansek and Jo Syme have been playing together for close to four years, and they certainly know what they are doing. Their chemistry, both on stage and on record is palpable, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they are excellent songwriters.

This road less traveled has meant that every three monthsBig Scary have released a new three or four track EP inspired by that particular season, and they have then gone out and played shows in support of that same EP. Consequently they have been racking up frequent flyer points as well as becoming more and more sure of themselves live.

Of course, none of this matters much if the songs aren’t any good. Happily though, the Spring EP continues the strength of the other EPs, and blesses us with three damn fine songs about this “mischevious yet delicate” season, as they themselves put it.

The first track, Spring, is a delicate acoustic ballad, with finger-picked guitar, multi-tracked vocal harmonies and incredible warmth. There’s a slight hiss in the background, too, clearly an unintended by-product of the recording process, but it all adds to the soft, beautiful atmosphere.

Hamilton follows, with Iansek’s beautiful voice cooing directly in to your ear before unleashing in the chorus, wailing away with reckless abandon. The same comparison has been made in almost every review, but Iansek’s voice really does sound remarkably like Jeff Buckley’s. Buckley was blessed with one of the most versatile voices in the history of rock music, capable of both heartbreaking sweetness and wailing, growling rock god power, and Iansek manages to achieve both in this beautiful song.

Gem In The Granite rounds out the EP with another acoustic ballad about confusion and mixed messages. In this quieter setting you get a chance to focus on the lyrics, with lines such as “you left my house, but not my head” given extra weight when sung by that voice, dripping with emotion and regret.

The band plans to package all four EPs together as The Four Seasons Project for release in December, which will have to keep you satisfied until their debut album, currently slated for August 2011. It seems a long time to wait to find out the next step for this tremendously talented duo, but I have no doubt that it will benefit greatly from the experience of writing, recording and touring these damn fine EPs.

Turns outBig Scary were a band to watch in 2010, after all. Keep your eyes peeled for 2011, too.