Albums
< Absentee
Bitchstealer EP
words by Sam Litte
This August east Londoners Absentee put on hold their various side projects and release their second full length album, ‘Victory Shorts’. But before the friends of Bloc Party unleash the follow up to their 2006 debut, ‘Schmotime’, the offer us the ‘Bitchstealer’ EP. In part, the four songs here are typical Absentee – louche vocals from Dan Michaelson, sounding more like a gruffer voiced Smog than ever, slurring along to the lazy meanderings of his band’s instruments, especially on the Frankie Valli cover of ‘My Eyes Adored You’ and the slowly waltzing ‘That Old Ghost’. But weather you’ve always loved Absentee’s sound or considered it to be Chris Rea doing ramshackle show-tunes, the title track here remains their best to date. Uncharacteristically upbeat it might even slap a smile on your chops as Michaelson pleads for this ‘bitch’ to be brought back to him, even though he’s not sure he wants her anymore. If it’s a hint at a new direction that dominates ‘Victory Shorts’, Absentee might just need to put their side projects on hold permanently this year.
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