Butterfly Bangs - 'Junk Sky'

Butterfly Bangs fall into the ubiquitous four-man band bracket and aren’t the most ball-grabbingly original outfit to flutter around the edges of indie-rock mainstream.  Their second single, ‘Junk Sky’, is melodically elusive, perhaps tactically avoiding the descent into guitar-riff stadium anthem gore, but failing to replace this with a sense of musical direction, and this is a bit frustrating.  There’s something in there, but it never quite happens. The guitar work is impressive, invoking a sound reminiscent of The Rakes or a cleaner Art Brut. 

An Idlewild-inspired static-filled spoken recording adds interest mid-track under a pleasingly tight 16-beat splashy high-hat, and a trumpet makes a brief twiddling appearance. Lyrical limitations are apparent in the rather boring refrain ‘It’s sad, sad, sad, being alone,’ probably the most disappointing part of a single from a band that should be capable of big things.  This isn’t the record that will make Butterfly Bangs.  ‘Junk Sky’ is a jigsaw puzzle of a great brit-rock track, but this time the pieces just don’t quite fit together.  

Released 03/03/08 on Weekender.