19.
The Pierces
Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge

A bit of a guilty pleasure, this. The Pierces are a pop duo (sisters, actually) from New York who play folk-laced tunes. Some of their stuff is pure pop, whilst other tracks are a much more layered. The occasional use of accordion is an intriguing factor, as is the 80s style ‘electro’ noises that crop up sporadically. The best tracks, though, are the most simple (‘Turn On Billie’ is essentially just a xylophone and a double bass, and works wonderfully, whilst ‘Go To Heaven’ – the stand out track on the album – consists merely of an acoustic guitar with some string support…). The single ‘Boring’ is aptly named, and represents an ill advised attempt to be sultry and ‘r ‘n’ b’. Big mistake. That utter cobblers aside, every other track on show here is a lovely gem of simple acoustic guitar, coupled with more inventive instrumentation, featuring clever lyrical twists and beautiful harmonised voices. It also has a bright pink cover, which I like a lot and which suits it really well (but it’s not exactly rock, is it?).