Album Review: The Correspondents – Puppet Loosely Strung
2 min read
Puppet Loosely Strung is the debut album from dynamic London duo The Correspondents. The upbeat dance duo have established themselves as a must-see act, earning world-wide acclaim for their energetic live sets but have yet to release an album until now. Consisting of producer, Chucks, and singer, Mr Bruce, The Correspondents blend elements of dance, jazz, blues and pop music to create a unique and memorable first impression.
The first track What Did I Do? has a somewhat theatrical vibe about it – starting with a simple, nostalgic sounding bluesy delivery of the opening line “What did I do to deserve that fear coming true?” before evolving into a more modern sound as Mr Bruce hurriedly sings the verses in a captivatingly unique way. Backed up by an array of electronic and drum beats, Mr Bruce delivers the track with as much energy and passion as if it were part of a dramatic musical – making a strong first impression as the opening track.
The next song Fear & Delight is a lot faster and more upbeat than its predecessor, discussing the oh-so-familiar subject matter of desiring someone bad for you but in an irresistibly catchy fashion. This is probably one of the album’s stand-out tracks, with singer Mr Bruce showing off his vocal range and hooking us in with its catchiness – this is one song where one listen is just not enough.
Another catchy as hell track later (Give You Better), we arrive at Kind of Love – a jazzy, electronic tune with a minute and a half of pure music before we’re introduced again to Mr Bruce’s voice. This song is instrumentally heavy and shows a simpler vocal performance compared to other tracks where Bruce’s voice is the focal point. Kind of Love leads well into In The Meantime, which is a purely instrumental track featuring a lovely piano riff.
After a few more dance-floor worthy tracks, we find the title track Puppet Loosely Strung towards the end of the album. The cool, silky track sees Bruce sing about imitating another person as a ‘puppet loosely strung’ against a bass-heavy background.
Alarm Call comes in next, at times resembling something from Australian group Cut Copy with its electronic energy, before the album finishes with the upbeat Some Nights. This is a good choice for the album closer as it is another track where one listen is not enough and it invites you to give the album another play (go on, you know you want to).
The Correspondents demonstrate a unique and eclectic approach to music in their debut album Puppet Loosely Strung. Combining different elements of music together, the duo have created a sound which is unique to them and will appeal to the masses. They have found a way to combine classic sounds of the past with popular music of today – think of it as the music your Grandparents listen to remixed for the dance floors of today’s night life.
