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The Stiletto Formal: This is My Boomstick E.P

31st March 2007 | by Aidan Williamson

999 Emergency. You set fire to the Arcade Fire? We'll send someone straight over, with a recording studio.

True, comparison is considered lazy journalism, but it's a good comparison, not the "[Band A] sounds like a cross between [Band B] and [Band C] with a little bit of [Band D] thrown in." type. Incorporating a vast array of sounds, 'The Stiletto Formal' make use of Violins, Cellos, Electronic programming and Piano. This, all on top of stampeding basslines and a variance of pummeling guitar lines and tuneful fretwork. If that doesn't sound interesting enough, then we come to the vocals. The ladies of the band contribute the necessary harmonies and all-round sweetness whilst lead vocalist Kyle Howard, works his way through a shopping list of frantic yelps, muttered prose, powerful mid-range crooning, ultrasonic screams, introspective fragile whispers and textured bass vocals. And yes, this is often in the same verse, let alone the same song.

All the originality in the world is no good though, without the creativity and talent to reinforce it. Guess what, this band is so reinforced that it would take a herd of rocket-launcher toting elephants to even rumble them (they would use their trunks to pull the triggers in case you were wondering). Each song tells a multi-tiered narrative which is delivered with a huge concoction of blissful and memorable hooks, with tracks laughing in the face of 'structure' as they meander meticulously through themselves, often hopping several genres, but never with the sense that it isn't the most natural thing in the world for them.

'This is My Boomstick' is released independently, and is available through Interpunk.