Athlete - 'El Salvador' (Parlophone)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
So, you're a purveyor of uplifting, toe-tapping, indie guitar pop are you, sir? Dear, oh dear. Take our advice now - you need a change of direction. You see my friend, sorry to say it, but your quest is ultimately futile. Word on the street is that some clever swines have gone and perfected it. There's a song called 'El Salvador'. You need to hear it.
You can even ignore the fact that the beginning of the verse does sound just a little bit like Avril Lavigne's thoroughly unpleasant 'Complicated' - yes, the rest of the song is that good. Put simply, it's a light-hearted, beautifully-crafted welcome in the summer, with a bit of a sing-along classicism thrown in for good measure. You can even whisper that 'Britpop' word once again. Softly, mind. However, it's probably far more than that; on this evidence, Athlete might seem a chirpy bunch of lads, but for a pop song to be quite as sumptuous as this there has to be some other worldly evil at play somewhere. If the devil does have the best tunes, he must be kicking himself for letting this one go.
At times it's lovably casual, offhand stuff. For example, it's difficult to calculate just what this dazzling piece of music is actually about. It seems Athlete don't know either. 'Fly to El Salvador, I don't know why, I don't know what for... I can't quite put my finger on it.' Whether that's the theme of the song in question or the elusive quality that makes 'El Salvador' so absurdly catchy remains unclear, but as a sentiment, it covers both. If you're an aspiring indie musician, then this is either inspirational or devastating stuff. For members of the general public, it's nothing other than a godsend.
Artists in this article: Athlete
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