Heave Media

The Long and Winding Song.

Citay delivers a movie like atmosphere; but too drawn out to be completely enjoyable.

Citay

Little Kingdom

Released on Nov 30, -0001

Sometimes I just can't get into a band, even if they are talented musicians. It's nothing personal. Its just some bands make music that I tend to completely forget about once I stop listening. So is the case for Citay and their new album Little Kingdom. One thing I like is the title track “Little Kingdom.? The song has a very soundtrack feel to it; something that I could easily hear as the background to a Wes Anderson film, and I'm a sucker for songs that work well with film. It's a mellow folkish pop song that has a catchy enough hook to grab you. In fact, many of the songs have a film score appeal; basically music that’s simple enough to provide a soundtrack to a video or image to enhance but not distract from the main attraction. Maybe that's why I can't get into Citay. Their music is pretty, but it doesn't make an impression or leave me wanting more. It's not the sonic explosion that throws me off my feet that I crave from the music I enjoy the most.

I appreciate the classic 3-5 minute pop song. Anything creeping past the five-minute mark that isn't a huge sweeping spectacle of music to keep my attention is something I simply want to turn off. If you're going to command five minutes or more of my attention span, then you better bring it full force musically. Many of the songs on Little Kingdom are creeping past that point - and instead of rising to the occasion of driving the song through to the end, the music becomes repetitive and dull. A band should go all out towards the end of the song or at least just stop playing the same guitar part over and over.

Sigur Ros and Arcade Fire are two bands that have five plus minute songs and you know why they work? Because they build up momentum and then blow their listener away at the end. Something that Citay just failed to do on tracks like "A Riot of Color." Little Kingdom provides pleasant background music, but no songs that stand out and shine.

Posted by Lisa White on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:00 am