The band say they want
to “explore the incongruity between Steely Dan's feel and lyrical
content.” By keeping the original melody lines and presenting the
lyrics in apt settings somewhere between Radiohead and Midlake they
in fact heighten the dislocation, especially to those for whom the
original is deep in their DNA. Jason Couse's vocals recall Jeff
Buckley without the gymnastics, Michael Le Riche's guitars and
texture shimmer and scree across the 7 tracks. Like their
self-titled sophmore album, which was produced by Murray Lightburn of
The Dears, Aja has been available as a free download on the bands
website. Ideally it should be out in the malls in a gatefold sleeve,
with gnomic sleevenotes and a cover with the aura of inscrutable
enigma which characterises both the original and this inspired
remake.
David Owen
