Songs For Birds And Bats
Self-Released, 2019
9/10
Listen to Songs For Birds And Bats
An Oklahoma City outfit consisting of husband wife duo Allan and Barb Vest, Allan’s had much success already as frontman for the orchestral indie-pop darlings Starlight Mints as well as soundtracking film, and Barb’s varied and lengthy career in the arts and singing allow the couple’s rich history to complement each other well.
“Map The Channels” gets the EP off to a rhythmic and groove filled start with vocal harmonies against quirky, upbeat indie-rock, and “Ladder For The People” follows with an ‘80s New Wave feeling as Barb’s pipes take center stage on a buzzing and pop fueled frenzy of synth and percussion.
The remaining songs are equally creative, with the tense, complicated “Goldstar Redux”, and the mysterious and subdued “Landlord Of The Flies”, while “Last Castaways” ends the quick listen recruiting acoustic guitars and a shimmering, cinematic quality of timeless folk ideas.
An extremely intricate affair that’s both highly textured and highly inventive, don’t let yourself try too hard to figure out what’s going on here, and instead just absorb the wealth of influences from the ‘80s on and the unpredictable and enthralling way these 5 tunes are put together. If names like Martsch, Malkmus and Brock mean anything to you, well, then, so should doubleVee.
Travels well with: Built To Spill- Keep It Like A Secret; Modest Mouse- The Moon & Antarctica