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I have to admit that i am a sucker for a good band name. Having a really great name will get your foot in the door, in my opinion. Consider Sad Day For Puppets. That's a brilliant name in that it is completely unexpected, yet oddly familiar. I wonder if they are referring to Friday.16.May.1997? That is the day that Jim Henson passed away, which has to be the saddest day imaginable for puppetkind.
Anyway, the band Sad Day For Puppets is a young act from suburban Stockholm. Last year, they released their debut LP, Unknown Colors, in Sweden, and the album garnered enough attention for them to get some distribution in the UK. And thus we have this 7", the A-side coming off of the album, while the B-side is a "digital single" they released prior to the album. Both tracks are completely new to me, so let me go over them.
Marble Gods, the A-side, reminds me a lot of Lush, or perhaps The Primitives with slightly huskier vocals. Singing sad puppet Anna Eklund has a smoky voice, rich and thick. Her singing adds a depth to the shoegazery sound, and i have to admit that i like what she is doing. She does a fine job, and the band backs her up with some nice chiming guitars and a big drum sound.
The B-side, Big Waves, which i am led to believe is an older tune, is a slightly different thing. It is slower, and references 60s girl groups a little more than it does classic mid-90s shoegaze. Still, the sound is not that different, this tune is just a little less rocking, more gently grooving.
If the A-side is like Asobi Seksu, the B-side is like Celestial. Both are excellent reference points for contemporary shoegazing, and i think that Sad Day For Puppets pulls it off well. In fact, listening to this single makes me curious to hear more from the band.
Now, this was released on 7" vinyl in the UK. I, unfortunately, only have the digital single. Therefore i cannot make my usual commentary on the physical release, and whether or not Sonic Cathedral correctly places the speed on the object.
Still, this is very worthwhile music. I will look for more from this act. And the lesson here is that sometimes following a great band name can lead to good music.
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