Capital Cities

In a Tidal Wave of Mystery

Ryan Merchant

Sebu Simonian

            Los Angeles gives us a lot of things which includes the indie pop band Capital Cities. The band was formed by Merchant and Simonian and released their debut EP in 2011. Their debut full-length album arrived in 2013. In a Tidal Wave of Mystery was released in June 2013 and features 12 tracks that spread 43 minutes. The album gets going with “Safe and Sound.” The track is infused with beats and soft spoken vocals. They also place in a trumpet to spice things up. It sounds descent although it’s not my normal cup of tea. “Patience Gets Us Nowhere Fast” the track is infused with more beats and soft spoken vocals. The track is simple in all aspects as it glides by with ease. The lyrics are really well written and I think that this one will have people hanging all over it. “Kangaroo Court” throws a funky beat at you with some smooth vocals added into the mix. The lyrics are a bit odd, but everything together offers up a killer tune. They also add in some wind instruments that really set the track off. It’s a descent song and should get some action. “I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo” doesn’t sound that bad, but it repeats way too much for me. The beat has its moments of brilliance, but also offers up some dull spots in my opinion. I think its one that you play and the background and really don’t pay attention to very much. “Center Stage” is a dance infused tune that sounds pretty good. The track is a lot of fun and I can see it being played nearly anywhere. “Farrah Fawcett Hair (Feat. Andre 3000)” includes some voiceover work and is a very odd tune. I like that they tried to change some stuff up and do something different, but I’m not a big fan of this track at all. “Chartreuse” is much of the same with beats, trumpets, and smooth vocals. There is really nothing that makes it stand out over the others and just blends in. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t sound bad but, it just sounds the same. “Origami” begins with a different beat and draws your attention in for a while. The smooth vocals then enter after the mini intro and cruises along with ease. The track is yet another one that you can put on in the background and run around the house doing stuff. The easy going sound is calming and will have you moving. “Lazy Lies” is a slower tune that sweeps along with most gang vocals and some tunes. It really doesn’t hold your attention very well and seems to be just a stepping stone to “Tell Me How To Live.” This tune offers up a blended beat of funk and country for a little while before some vocals enter that sounds like they are straight out of Space Jam. The track just continues along with some different stuff tossed in the track at random times. It seems like a bunch of things jumbled together. “Chasing You (Feat. Soseh)” infuses some extra vocals that spice the tune up. I like the compliment that Soseh’s voice gives to the other vocals. “Love Away” wraps up the album on a cool note. The vocal arrangement is pretty cool and works well with the beat that they introduced into the mix. There is a little lull spot in the tune, but oh well, you will have those sometimes. Overall the album is okay. It’s definitely not my cup of tea, but within the album there are some spots that I enjoyed. The beats are pretty cool in some of the tracks and there are a few tracks as a whole that I would mind hear from time to time. The vocals are smooth and easy to listen to. I would like to hear some more variation in the musical beats, but overall they aren’t bad at all. I do think that they have a feature ahead of them and if you like this techno dance music this is an album for you.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

Kangaroo Court, Chasing You

Track List:

1. Safe and Sound
2. Patience Gets Us Nowhere Fast
3. Kangaroo Court
4. I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo
5. Center Stage
6. Farrah Fawcett Hair (Feat. Andre 3000)
7. Chartreuse
8. Origami
9. Lazy Lies
10. Tell Me How To Live
11. Chasing You (Feat. Soseh)
12. Love Away