Allo Darlin' – Europe

Releasedate: 14-05-2012; Label: v2/Munich Records
By: Martine Goffard

“Europe” is the second album of the English band Allo Darlin’. The band was created five years ago by the singer/songwriter Elizabeth Morris. Their indie pop music is so much appealing to your finer feelings that it’s hard not to like it.

With Allo Darlin’, we are all way back in the 60-70’s hippie time. First with the music : the instruments are simple, like the one you bring along everywhere with you, and would fit perfectly for a campfire. We have the guitar, of course, some happily drums and tambourine and the ukulele is present on many songs. Then, Morris´s teen voice sounds very pure and innocent, particularly during the duos. She has something of the children thoughtlessness, compensated by a bitter aftertaste of sadness. For Europe is about nostalgia. It’s a reflection on life, on the memories (My Sweet Friend), on old friends and on school’s summer holidays (Tallulah). There’s this excessive naivety in the lyrics that makes you think that these kind of pro-peace people were also the perfect heroes in serial killers stories and that in the real world you don’t always wish to clap your hands. Now, there’s something very touching in Allo Darlin’; it’s their sincerity. The candid tone is lessened by the high quality of the fresh and peppy music. These songs, and specially the sweet and bouncing Capricornia, will make you happy. Eventually, you want to jump in their van and share a bit of the road. As the song Armstrong says, it’s not because it seems unreal that you can’t dream about it.

Line up :
Elizabeth Morris – vocals
Paul Rains – guitars
Bill Botting – bass
Mikey Collins – drums

Tracklist: 01 Neil Armstrong 02 Capricornia 03 Europe 04 Some People Say 05 Northern Lights 06 Wonderland 07 Tallulah 08 The Letter 09 Still Young 10 My Sweet Friend

Links:
Allo Darlin’ Facebook