The Primitives

The Primitives – Echoes and Rhymes (Elefant Records)

Nothing signifies that a band’s creative juices are still flowing like returning after a 21 year hiatus with an album of cover versions. Needless to say, expectations for this album weren’t high; The Primitives released some lovely pop songs in the 80s (‘Crash’ and ‘Spacehead’ to name but two) but a whole album of covers of tracks by obscure 60s girl bands is not something that initially appeals. Thankfully, Echoes and Rhymes is a surprisingly enjoyable listen; with the exception of Little Ann’s Detroit soul classic ‘Who Are You Trying To Fool?’ (one of the best tracks on the record) and Sandy Posey’s ‘Single Girl’, none of these tracks are really familiar to me but The Primitives manage to make them sound like fuzz-pop classics. Most of the songs clock in around the two minute mark and the whole record is so addictive and unified in sound that you want to play it from start to end. I’ve listened to it three times and my favourite track has changed with each play – currently it’s the Euro psych-pop of ‘Amoureux D’Une Affiche’ but this could well change the next time I put the album on. There’s nothing groundbreaking or essential about Echoes and Rhymes but it’s hard to imagine any indie music fan not being charmed by it. 7/10

Matt Brown