THE PERSIAN LEAPS - EP REVIEW

The Persian Leaps - Praise Elephants 
The Persian Leaps - Praise Elephants

When a band lists influences like Teenage Fanclub, My Bloody Valentine  and Guided By Voices you know you're in for something that at least comes from a good place, even if it doesn't go anywhere good. Luckily for Persian Leaps (and their listeners), this EP goes to a number of good places, starting off with the fuzzy, noise-pop of 'Hard Feelings' that morphs in to a jangly, Britpop sounding number that is somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and Gene. 'Not That Brave' has a beat era charm to it as well as hints of Redd Kross and some delightful vocal harmonies to act as a counterpoint to the crunchy guitars. For me, 'Silent Treatment' is the standout track on this collection with its off-kilter arrangements, indie anthem melody and thumping, Glasvegas drums.

The Minnesotan (yeah, that's a word Microsoft) combo clearly have a penchant for matching noise with melodies and I can only propose that this would make their live shows an awful lot of fun. The sombre jangle of 'Exponentially Devoted' has hints of the better moments of the Smiths about it (which are few and far between in my opinion) and final track 'Sleepless' is a slow builder but an undeniably epic indie tune that bands like The Las, The Verve or The Lightning Seeds would have been applauded for in the early part of their careers. In fact, apart from some of the more summery vibes that shine out of this EP, there is a distinct flavour of northern English and Scottish guitar music here and that can only be a good thing (as long as they don't start listening to anything Oasis put out after Definitely Maybe).

More information: http://thepersianleaps.com/


Live Dates: 
27th September - Cause Spirits & Soundbar, Minneapolis (w/Flavor Crystals + The Bombay Sweets)
29th October - Cause Spirits & Soundbar, Minneapolis

23rd October - Cause Spirits & Soundbar, Minneapolis

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