Let’s face it, lately we’ve had more than our fair share of folk-indie cutesy type bands than we need to, and it’s become difficult to distinguish between the groups and the songs and the endless quirk that is constantly shoved down our throats by the popular culture media. Tunng are no different. They are by no means an original band, but that doesn’t necessarily conclude that they cannot be enjoyable.
The latest experimental folk to be thrown our way by Tunng is “… And Then We Saw Land” (01 March 2010). It consists of a solid 12 pieces, including a hidden track, and mindblowingly psychedelic album cover art (worth buying just for that, really). Whilst I’m generally not a fan of this sort of music, I gave it a listen anyway, and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
Surprised that it was not as awful as I expected, not surprised that it was incomparative undiscovered genius. While it’s not really so bad, a general pattern emerges as you listen further into the album: the songs are mostly constructed by an ensemble of mismatched rhythms placed over the top of a repetitive, soft beat. The quiet vocals are devoid of emotion, seeming to be spoken rather than sung, which is slightly disinteresting. The only pleasant sector of the songs is their chorus, which emerges for a mere couple of seconds before the songs return to their original banality.
Putting all criticism of repetitiveness aside, Tunng succeed at one thing above all – they are talented, no question about it. It is simply just their execution which is displeasing, and to put it bluntly: boring. However, it’s the sort of light, non-interfering music you’d listen to in the background of your every day life. When you want to chill out to some music, without wanting to sing along or dance, Tunng’s latest is a fantastic choice to play.
Review Score: 6.5/10
