It has taken me far too long to get around to Sick Friend's album The Draft Dodger, but there are some tracks on this indie pop menagerie that really stays with you. The title track, for instance. Don't take the title at face value - this ain't no political rally/diatribe/condescending middle class rant. Yet these Canadians are more like Russian dolls - the more you get inside them, the more intricate their world becomes. Utilising keyboards and a synth-bass into the more stereotypical indie rock mix, Sick Friend may seem to be without direction, but that is part of the deception. They could be Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but without the whining vocals; Animal Collective, but without the samples and the warped psychedelics. They still have a bit of soul-searching to find continuity across an entire longplayer, but The Draft Dodger still manages to stay outside the grasp of mediocrity. Definitely worth a listen.
The Draft Dodger is out now on Bird & Flag Records.
Sick Friend - Cottages
Sick Friend - The Draft Dodger
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