Tie Me In A Bow

Leapling “Alabaster Snow”

This is one of those songs that is slightly aggravating in that I swear it reminds me of something specific from 20+ years ago, but I can’t place it at all. It might be a lot of things at once – the vocal melody is very Elliott Smith, for example, but the shambling rock of it is more Sebadoh-ish. Part of what makes this exercise in trainspotting annoying is that it does a disservice to the song, which is very lovely and emotional entirely on its own terms. I love the vulnerability in this guy’s voice, and how the loud guitars are like this very flimsy armor for these raw feelings he’s expressing. You could dismiss this as wimpy or twee, but it strikes me as mature and brave for the most part. You can always kinda tell when the “sensitive, kinda broken” act is a cynical ploy, and I don’t get that vibe here at all.

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