Dark Mean: frankencottage

This short EP (only four tracks long) was a surprising treat.  I say surprising, but having heard nothing about Canadian band Dark Mean I was approaching this record with no preconceptions at all.  As such, the quality of this EP was only surprising in that I first listened to it whilst trawling through a batch of less-than-average-quality records I'd been sent for review.  You'd think that hearing music with no expectations or biases would mean you'd be more susceptible to a records merits, but I often find that I am actually* more* critical than usual.  An unknown band has everything to prove and making a good first impression is essential; the slightest hiccup or miss-step in the opening minute or so can throw a bad light on an otherwise first-rate record.

Dark Mean, by contrast, made no such mistakes on their debut EP frankencottage.  I made it all the way through the record without even thinking about skipping any of the tracks - a notable feat despite the short length of the EP.  It's not reinventing the wheel or pushing any boundaries, but as far as inoffensive Canadian indie-pop goes these guys tick all the boxes.  And they do so with enough panache that you can forgive them their dreadful name (one of their band members is called Mark Dean...) and the hyperbole on their myspace ("extending beyond the traditional boundaries of pop music" they certainly aren't...).

In short this is a competent debut.  They say it's the first part of a 3-EP cycle, so I look forward to their next effort (due later in the summer) with great interest.  If you fancy hearing frankencottage all the way through, they're offering it as a free download if you sign up to their mailing list via their website.

Dark Mean - frankencottage [audio //www.bearfacedrecords.com/EbMBlog_mp3s/DarkMean/DarkMean_frankencottage.mp3]

Dark Mean - Happy Banjo [audio //www.bearfacedrecords.com/EbMBlog_mp3s/DarkMean/DarkMean_HappyBanjo.mp3]