REVIEW: Miles, The Day I Vanished (V2 Import)
- Tim Mohr
The latest in a string of excellent new German bands, Miles add to their foreign appeal by singing in (un-accented) English. Their style is reminiscent of the poppier moments of the Boo Radleys (i.e. "Find The Answer Within"), Teenage Fanclub, Fountains of Wayne, and Superdrag.
The most distinctive element to the music of Miles is the vocal harmonizing--built around fairly high-pitched lead vocals. It is the vocal register that causes the Boo Radleys comparison, though the thick but structured layers of guitar are also somewhat Boo-esque.
The lead single, "Pretty Day," offers a perfect example of the Miles sound: intense guitar strumming, a bunch of "oooh"s and "da doo"s, verses about a girl who doesn't understand, an inescapable chorus, a lilting bridge. It is surprising just how much guitar crunch Miles can heap on without upsetting the gentle pop effect of the sunny vocals. In that respect, Miles can bring vintage Ride to mind.
Elsewhere, Miles add organs and a few other instruments, though the concentration remains guitars and vocal harmonies. The prominent guitars, coupled with the Brian Wilson-esque vocal arrangements, lend The Day I Vanished an American feel, though as with many Scottish bands (Teenage Fanclub, Pearlfishers, Snow Patrol, even the Jesus & Mary Chain), the American atmosphere seems more coincidental than imitative.
V2 made Miles their first German signing on the strength of their demos and live shows; Miles also signed on with prestigious Powerline Management, who already have most of the best German indie bands (Stereo Total, Tocotronic, Die Sterne) under contract. Still, these indirect praises seem unimportant the moment that Miles start to sing: the songs - painted with elaborate vocal colors and textured by gritty guitar tones - are worthy of direct, immediate praise.
