Oh, Scorpio

iTunes Review

Producer Butch Walker has a bona fide talent for bringing out the chemistry of a band’s sound. And two things that the Films have in spades are good songs and a solid chemistry in their musical relationships. “Completely Replaceable” kicks off the party sounding like a New Romantic version of the Shins, but when the chorus kicks in it’s hard to believe that the hip quartet don’t hail from London — the song has the pomp and swagger of a Suede hit and the self- deprecating wit of a Nick Cave tune. Harmonica blasts shift the gears on “Holiday,” an instant standout track with a rockabilly influenced backbeat and slap-back on the vocals that recall modern-day European bands’ affection for American ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll (check out the Raveonettes, Glasvegas, and Peggy Sue). Roomy harmonies become “God Bless Your Heart” before the song snaps into the kind of insta-hit that would have raised the eyebrows of the late, great John Peel. Spooky reverb and a boozy waltz on “Pour It Out” recall the Specials’ “Ghost Town.” With Oh, Scorpio, American indie Anglophiles needn’t look across the pond for a good soundtrack to the glamorous life.