Wednesday, July 26

Heroes and Villains - "Color Coded"


It's not often I use the "repeat" button on my Winamp player, but I did so today. I was listening through some songs a friend sent me to check out (hey James!) and "Color Coded" by Portland's own Heroes and Villains came on. You might expect that a band named for a Beach Boys song would write some fine pop, and in this case you'd be right on target.

The song recalls a sea shanty for the first minute or so, reminding one of Colin Meloy and that other Portland-based band known for nautical and fantastic tales. "Color Coded" features a lovely harpsichord, glockenspiel, piano and a children's choir. The first minute or so is subdued, but from that point on the song is essentially a piano-led romp in which the vocalist laments his station and time away from home. After a tumultous latter third of the track, I'm actually a bit unsure of what happens at the end -- has he been reunited with his bonnie lass? Am I reading too much into the female vocal? If you're a fan of bands like The Decemberists or Lylas, this is up your alley.

Heroes and Villains - Color Coded

This song was released both as one side of a 7" release and on the band's Heroes and Villains EP (2005). Both of those releases are available through the band's website.

Their site also says that their forthcoming album has been mastered and will be released in August. Keep an eye out for that one. For more on the band, check out their MySpace.

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