George Demure – The Drifter

 

George Demure abandoned electronica in favour of guitars, and has revealed both an eccentric song writing sensibility and fruity baritone voice. Liza sounds like Gary Numan and Brian Ferry being thrown at each other, whilst lounge crooner piss-take The Drifter blossoms into an elegant Motown love song. If Graham Linehan directed a Bond film, no doubt he’d choose Parasol Drive as its feature song, so brilliantly silly is its spy-rock guitar and tongue-in-cheek waltzing.

The retro synths of The Sleepy Wheel reference Demure’s previous life, providing a backing for a frankly baffling Nick Cave/George Harrison hybrid impersonation. The stand out track, however, is the apocalyptic How To Land, its moaning organ and doo-wop backing vocals creating a delicious mix of tension and absurdity. Demure manages to bring together the disparate threads of panoramic Scott Walker ballads and synthpop bleeps, binding them into a smart and undeniably fun collection of songs.