For all of the general futility which surrounds end-of-year lists, there is definitely a buzz to the questions of who will be included and why. Probably the most enjoyable thing about reading them is to then disagree and engage in a tirade with your mates about how such-and-such a band are overrated, these guys don’t get enough credit, and that lot were good, but have gone downhill since their previous album. However, they are also an important bookmark at the end of the year, a chance to perhaps pick up an album which came out in February and you had since forgotten about, or to check out something which totally evaded your gaze. Hence, when NME released their list of the best debuts of 2014, Porches.’ Slow Dance In The Cosmos caught my eye. Despite the fact that, as far as I can tell, it was actually released in 2013, its myriad of melancholy instrumentation and witty, emotive lyrics have drawn me in tight, and threaten not to let go for the foreseeable future.
For a band which share close ties with Frankie Cosmos, it’s no surprise that the lyrical content on Slow Dance In The Cosmos is of an intriguing nature (note the line ‘I wanna go dancing in the public eye’ on “The Cosmos,” of which Frankie had a track of (basically) the same name on her most recent record Zentropy). Lead-singer/guitarist Aaron Maine’s writing is largely simplistic, though can rightfully boast a sincerity and depth that makes the album the success it is. The candor to tracks like “Xanny Bar’ (‘nice to meet you, maybe we’ll undress’) and “Fog Dog” (‘a teenager next to an ash tray/under a grand piano they laid/and nostrils flared as they misbehaved’) inject not only a sense of humour, but also develop characters and scenarios which one can relate to, a trait shared with the aforementioned Frankie, herself having performed with Maine live on the latter track. Forays into concepts of a more sexual orientation (‘I’m just a ditz/won’t you kiss me on my hips?’ on “Intimate”) and proffering the strangest of compliments (‘she is skinny like the trees/the air looks good around her body/and I’m a New York City slug’ on “Skinny Trees”) similarly raise their alluring heads, and add to the general appeal of the whole album, as it dare threaten not to take itself too seriously without losing any of its emotional wallop.
Where Frankie Cosmos however opts for the more lo-fi and sparse approach to her music, Porches. are more than willing to mix the tracks from those of a far denser and compact nature, and those that allow more room to breathe. The previously mentioned “Xanny Bar” consists of little more than Maine and his guitar, with a few distorted flourishes and the like chucked in as a means of creating atmosphere. Closing track “The Cosmos” is also, until the final rumble, a stripped-back acoustic-and-vocals number, which wouldn’t have sounded too amiss as the theme-tune for a Royal Family remake, if they were transported to outer-space and fed on a diet of hash brownies. However, songs such as “Skinny Trees,” a personal favourite of mine, lean towards the intensity the band are also more than capable of whipping up. The instrumental refrain has a particularly moody and aggressive aesthetic to it, and when Maine’s vocals, this time around more strained, arch over the top, it develops into some sort of gothic, synth-led post-punk number, and makes for an incredibly powerful couple of minutes. Penultimate track “Permanent Lone” reflects the same sort of sentiments, as a cacophony of noise is interrupted only by guitar lines which become increasingly frantic with each verse, complimented by Maine’s unique vocal delivery. The amalgamation of the density as well as the sparsity of various performances meant that Slow Dance In The Cosmos was able to reflect both skill-sets Porches. clearly embody, and reflected without losing any of their charm along the way.
Ultimately, it was this sense of charm which drew me in. The whole of the above has been a roundabout way of describing this inherent likeability which Porches.’ possess, but it’s impossible to accurately discern without giving the album a listen. Slow Dance In The Cosmos boasts the same sort of witty, emotive sensibilities as another albuum which I picked up about the same time last year, namely Radiator Hospital’s debut, and it is the way in which such bands make you laugh/heartbroken at the same time that hopelessly draws me in. The overwhelming weirdness and sense of dissonance we all go through in our formative years is perfectly summed up by Maine as he sings ‘today I kissed a real beauty/she was a painting she was glowing/she was Santa Fe and roughed up copper/a real wrist-knocker’ on “Fog Dog,” whereas the opening to “Xanny Bar,” ‘I couldn’t help from noticing you across the bar/hello I’m Ronnie, and I’m falling apart/do ya want me bad? Like I want you?’ reflects notions of desperation and loneliness in a song that couples such themes with overtones of humour and wit. Maine is careful to always treat his subjects with care, and his approach is all the more rewarding because of it.
For a band who label their genre on Facebook as ‘dark muscle’, Porches. have proven to be a band who are able to balance insight and humor hand in hand, and Slow Dance In The Cosmos is a worthy testament to such a talented outfit. Moving, funny and memorable, it has reinstated to me the worth of compiling such end of year lists, even if the album does seem to have been placed in the wrong year (though I’m open to being proven wrong on this count). With only one show coming up on their Bandcamp, that being a performance in New York on February 6th, the Christmas period is the perfect time to enjoy Slow Dance In The Cosmos, as well as subsequent Porches. and Ronald Paris (Aaron Maine’s alternate performance persona) material, and to ensure you don’t miss out what has been for me one of my finds of 2014.