One Track Mind

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Trust me, when writing about music (and especially when writing about a band signed to the venerable indie-pop label Slumberland Records ) the last thing I want to do is invoke The Strokes. It pains me to do it, but in the case of Bricolage and their just-released self-titled debut, the comparison is unavoidable: the songs on Bricolage veer strongly toward sounding either like those New York City boys or, leaning heavily in another direction, like fellow Glaswegians and genre pioneers Orange Juice. Although the album is a fun listen and easily enjoyed, it does bear the signature of a young band still trying to find their identity amid the pastiche.

“Bayonets” is arguably one of the songs that best avoids this tendency towards mimicry (but I’ll be damned if you don’t pick up a whiff of that Strokesy bouquet), swaggering as it does with a barstool chorus singing “life is a cabaret.” There’s a lot to love here beyond the general catchiness throughout. The drumming is a subtle yet strong facet, with plenty of hard-charging fills slipped in under the radar, while the guitars keep things skipping along until the firing squad ending of staccato chords. There is also something satisfying about the unrelenting pacing of “Bayonets,” propelled along by prominent vocal melodies which are highlighted by matching guitar parts during the pre-choruses.

While this track may not be the best representation of what Bricolage is capable of, it does serve as a good indicator of the type of songs featured on their debut. It’s fairly straightforward indie-pop, winsome if not always winning, but a pleasurable sound nonetheless.