Letters Letters - Self Titled

Letters Letters
Letters Letters
(10.2007, Type)
Verdict = Gritty, Sexy, Smart and Underappreciated

Quavering between grizzly, dance infected post-punk and sputtery, knob twiddling folk, the debut album from Letters Letters is dynamic, to say the least. The trio has somehow seamlessly integrated two apparently disparate sounds to create one that is wonderfully distinctive. To make a completely lazy, unfair comparison, Letters Letters really reminds me of some combination of Mahjongg with Gowns. There is the skittery electronics, strained male and female vocals and a wonderfully damaged drum machine. As a whole, there is just a generally liberal degree of experimentalism running throughout this stunning debut and yet it is still pop. It also contains a type of sexy vibe that is confirmed by some occasionally questionable lyrics. You won’t have to go too far beyond the first track to pick up on this. Even still, the tone of the record is simultaneously stark and menacing. To be honest, I keep listening looking for a catch – why haven’t I heard more praise of this thing? So spin after spin I search for the problem areas only to be further inundated by its druggy hooks. Letters Letters has flown much too far beneath the radar here and their self titled debut deserves to be blasted from the rooftops.

-Mr. Thistle

Letters Letters on Myspace