Dead Legs & Alibis (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

Previously named Dark Captain, Light Captain, East London’s Dark Captain lost half of its moniker but gained three members before recording a stunningly beautiful sophomore album of atmospheric folk-based songs bound by flawless three-part vocal harmonies. “Submarines” introduces Dead Legs & Alibis with acoustic guitars and electric six-string arpeggios playing under pedaling rhythms, while whisper-sung lyrics hang over muted piano parts. Ambient windchimes glisten and sparkle alongside acoustic fingerpicking, giving “Long Distance Driver” a melancholic, rainy-day beauty before beats fall like hail. Throughout Dead Legs & Alibis, Dan Carney’s feathery vocals recall those of Slowdive’s Neil Halstead, especially in the moody “Fade,” where the chorus harmonies come together like a shoegaze-era Simon & Garfunkel. The livelier “Different & Easier” works in baroque-pop instrumentation with what sounds like a French horn playing under piano and jazz-shuffled drums. The similarly buoyant “80,000 Reasons” is built on a kinetic framework of bouncing rhythms.