Review
THE WIND-UP BIRDS – CROSS COUNTRY
Released 30th April 2012 (Sturdy Records)
Words: Rebecca Dixon
Leeds based band, The Wind-Up Birds release their first single Cross Country from their new album The Land. The download only, ‘pay what you want’ single is a strong choice and not only makes a lasting impression but also allows you to understand just what this Northern band has to offer the UK music scene.
Being known for their creative music videos such as Some Slum Clearances (check it out), the video for Cross Country definitely does not disappoint. It is filmed on a football pitch and follows a scrabble game played against a very unhappy man. If that isn’t enough to intrigue you, the track itself definitely makes up for that. The almost aggressive tone presented in this song added to the typically clever poetic lyrics of The Wind-Up Birds grabs your attention all the way through the track. Instead of being just a ‘shouty pissed off track’, lines such as ‘Oh wait, are you scared to go out at night? Well what papers do you read? Do you read the one about Cross Country?’ show The Wind-Up Birds well placed aggression at some of the problems in society today.
With the instrumentation in Cross Country, you could not ask for much more. Grabbing your attention straight away, the punchy attack of the drums as well as the fantastically filthy bass and guitar fuels this track with the energy needed to carry the eloquence of the lyrics throughout the entire track. The intensity each instrument brings demands the listeners’ attention and you cannot help but imagine the track being played live. These riffs will be in your head for days.
This intensity brings something different to previous tracks by The Wind-Up Birds and although not necessarily better, Cross Country certainly brings something new to the forefront giving us a taste of what their new album The Land has to offer.
