Stylex – Tight Scrapes
Pretend Records - 21 November 2006
by Tom Strutton
Tight Scrapes is the third lp proper from retro electroclash/new-wave mentalists
Stylex, last heard in 2004’s remix lp of second album
Autofocus (2003). The songs contained here argely reflect the 80s retro cover art and group photograph, both of which hint at a band that places huge importance on style. Fortunately,
Tight Scrapes contains more than enough substance to prevent accusations of gimmickry. This may be not be evident on first listen, but these deliciously quirky and infectious songs will find a place in your heart sooner or later.
To put it bluntly,
Stylex are a reviewer’s dream come true. Their eclectic, hard to pin-down aesthetic presents the critic with an opportunity to use and abuse meaningless jargon with the aim of seeming exceedingly clever. Electroclash, new-wave, postpunk, techno, electronic-garage pop - any of these could be suitably applied to
Tight Scrapes. However, all fail to actually describe what is happening in the music here, which is perhaps best described simply as one hears it. Of course, that’s what I’m here for.
Tight Scrapes is attractively unpretentious; it wants you to have fun, and failing that it defiantly enjoys its own company anyway. Cute beeps and synth drums reminiscent of old school video games account for half the attraction, lending the record a faux-naïve innocence that is only countered by incisive and erratic wordplay. The other half is down to the way the words themselves are deftly articulated, hanging on short but memorable melodic motifs.
Tight Scrapes is a stripped down affair, both in terms of production and instrumentation.
Stylex clearly appreciate the rules of audio balance; the near absence of a middle range means that the bass guitar and decorative synth melodies are both allowed to shine brightly, with no single element stepping on the toes of another. The production value is far-from polished, but this lends a stylish underground feel to the record. This is most clearly evident in the vocal doubling, which is far from seamless and suggests the sort of vocal sound you achieved as a seventeen-year-old making records with your eight-track. But, again, this is another weapon in
Tight Scrapes multi-faceted armoury of charm (or ‘charmoury’ if you will).
Throughout its thirteen-track course
Tight Scrapes retains a highly stylised formula, but each of the songs (averaging 3 minutes in length) explores territory diverse enough to prevent the onset of boredom. Even if the first, slightly ordinary track fails to capture your imagination I urge you to persevere. It may be one of those records where a different, previously ignored song jumps out at you each week. This is mental, quirky, fun, stylish, unpretentious, and never-over-the-top stuff.
Official Stylex Website
Official Pretend Records Website
