The Tamborines: Sally O'Gannon
Planting Seeds

Peel back The Tamborines' beehive guitar and synth swarm on “Sally O'Gannon” and you'll find pure pop at the music's center (especially when the “So much better now” chorus kicks in), something the debut US release by these London-based Brazilians shouts loud and clear. On this outing, core members Lulu Grave (keyboards, percussion) and Henrique Laurindo (guitar, vocals) get help from Rodrigo Thur (drums) and Aaron Finnucane (guitars) plus guests Mark Gardener (Ride) and Frank “Teardrop” Emerson (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) who contribute backing vocals and melodica, respectively. The Tamborines' gentler side is spotlighted by the twinkling melodies and soft harmonies of “Be Around” before fuzz guitars again do battle with lush harmonies in “Come Together.” Though Sally O'Gannon includes a mere four tracks (three, if you exclude the predictably rougher demo version of the title track) and lasts only fourteen minutes, there's enough here to whet one's appetite for more.

December 2007