Bodies of Water
A Certain Feeling
Secretly Canadian (2008)
Los Angeles's Bodies of Water bears more than just a passing similarity to critical darlings Arcade Fire: Both groups feature elaborate, almost chaotic instrumentation, jubilant yelping and the joint lead vocals of a husband-and-wife duo. Both groups even make religious references. But Bodies of Water has more of a gospel flair, which was reinforced by a few explicitly Christian lyrics on several tracks of last year's "Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink" (initially released on the band's own Thousand Tongues imprint and reissued earlier this year by Secretly Canadian).
The group's latest, "A Certain Feeling," certainly sounds darker and more ominous than "Ears," and the religious references are significantly less overt. Those factors make "Feeling" more accessible and ultimately more intriguing. The increasing urgency of "Darling, Be Here," the solemnity of "Only You" and the vocals of "Gold, Tan, Peach, and Grey," which are alternately plaintive and dramatic, all showcase the group's depth and confirm that it is more than just an Arcade Fire knockoff.
-- Catherine P. Lewis
.: Originally published: The Washington Post: 15 August 2008, Page WE08
.: A Certain Feeling on Amazon.com.
