Ozone Baby- Girl with Cassettes

This band’s name may be familiar to you, a familiarity that most likely manifests in the form of the 1972 hit single Ozone Baby ‘70s music kings Led Zeppelin. Their namesake gives away an element of their style, as this dynamic group from Eastbourne take inspiration from said ‘70s band, blending it amongst softer indie harmonic sounds, creating a dynamic affair of powerpop, indie and rock.

Energetic is the main word I would use to describe the sound of Ozone Baby, a four piece lucratively led by multi-instrumentalist and lead singer Amanda Thompson.

Girl with Cassettes, featuring Todd Fancey of The New Pornographers, jumps straight into a blend of punchy percussion, jazzy string sounds and a fast-paced melody. This track literally pops into life. The opening lyrics “it’s gone to my head, it’s gone to my feet” are representative of exactly the transition the sound makes into your very being, as the vibrations leave you unable to but jerk around (hopefully with some decorum). Oh yes, this one’s a bit of a toe-tapper…

The smooth voice of Amanda is confident, rich and has a level of prowess over the backing music, which draws on an intense assortment of guitar and percussion, layer upon layer of jittery, buoyant sound.

About half way in, the vocals take a break and a richer, rockier instrumental sound comes through. You can actually feel the band rock out into their Led Zeppelin selves in this part of the track. The intensity is such that you can see the gang as youths, aged 10, air guitaring with a pillow, faces contorted into utter concentration and enthusiasm.

This song is a sandwich of classic rock, encased in layers of modern pop and indie. The heart of the tune demonstrates the recurring, emblematic rock that laces their music style and merits the Led Zeppelin allusion.

The rock premise really permeates mid-song and with it brings an undeniable nostalgia. This reminiscence is all the more enhanced by the repetition of the word “cassettes”, which proceeds in the latter half of the song. The lyrical and acoustic collaboration here transpires as a musical trip through time, from the ‘70s Mods & Rockers, through to the world of cassette tapes and 12 inch records, on up to the poptastic ‘90s. The represented era is far enough removed from today’s music scene that it feels wonderfully wistful and refreshing amongst currently dominating styles.

The lengthened syllables and drawn out “yeah”s alternate with perkier “do-do-do-do’s” to formulate the pop-style chorus. In front of the lively acoustic backdrop, these traits make Girl With Cassettes a drive along, sing along song. On the road, this track will want your foot on the accelerator; on the pavement it may have you throwing some untimely shapes.

Imagine Top of The Pops in tight jeans and Ozzy Osbourne shades- this is Ozone Baby’s sound in Girl with Cassettes. As the music blares from my pleasantly startled pink Dell, I can almost see the shell-suits and white plimsolls jumping around the TOTP stage. Forget cassette tapes, this girls got a full on ghetto blaster over her shoulder.

The song ends as abruptly as it begins, following a string of the fun afore mentioned “do-do-do’s” and a final cool guitar-led 10 or 20 seconds. You can almost see the guitarists hand drop down in the closing vigorous strum of the strings as the sound drops to a sudden halt and we can finally rest our weary feet.

Whatever your musical taste, this track is so effervescent and inoffensive, that you will want to make sure you have charged your batteries before you listen to it. For you feel it would reprimand a dull audience, perhaps even make you do sit-ups. Get ready to tap those toes…

Short URL: http://newbeatsmedia.com/?p=2742

Writen by Hannah Hassack of This Is No Bridget Jones

Posted on Thu 10th June 2010 and filed under Singles.

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