White Shoes and The Couples Company are one of my favorite current groups going right now. They hail from Indonesia and thrive on a sunny, jazzy sound with shades of American pop from the 1960s. Their second album, Album Vakansi, which was released late last year in their native country but as of now doesn't have U.S. distribution, takes more chances than its predecessor by playing heavily on the jazzier aspects of their sound. I'll always hold their debut album in very high regard due to its ability to instantly brighten my mood, but here are a few tracks from their latest one which I've been constantly repeating.
"Sans Titre" marks a departure for the band as it's their first record to be sung in neither Indonesian or English, but in French. It's also the most eerie that the band has sounded, with theremin-like sounds floating in the background and a few other experimental touches that wouldn't be out of place in the world of trip-hop. It also happens to be one of their most delicate-sounding songs as well.
"Sans Titre"
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"Matahari" falls more in line of what one would expect of White Shoes and The Couples Company. The song gives off a bright feeling that's reminiscent of spring and is another showcase for the musical ability of the group, which I sometimes tend to gloss over when basking in the melodies. I'd be interested to know who some of their influences were as far as the world of jazz and if they're fans of any other kind of world music since I definitely hear some West African guitar picking going on here.
"Matahari"
Click here to download.
