CARDBOARD COWBOY have done this sort of thing before. It’s a teasing EP of what could be "work in progress" released in advance of a promised album. In practice, the songs are fully realised nuggets of a devoted Americana that still sounds very English.
Dave's old-timer Deputy Marshall voice and the bands confident sound are instantly recognisable. There's a kind of skiffle in there somewhere. There's a great lurching chord sequence skewed out from The Velvet Underground's Sweet Jane in the longest track "Softer Love". And then there are some sweet-as-sugar Four Tops' harmonies in the delightfully edgy "Picture of You" ( a track individualy available through iTunes ). The band have a crisp, natural sound with breathing space around the instruments.
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"Paycheck" has a sixties beat combo of bass and drums, an eighties honking saxophone and a contemporary guitar line of jagged, percussive guitar. It’s plain-sounding in the company of "Picture of You" and "Softer Love", but it would still count as best-song-in-the-set for less accomplished bands. The bass line alone is worth the entry fee.
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