by Philip Moss

On first listen, Myths 004 passes you by. But, despite its flaws, there is certainly something moreish about this quirky bundle of ideas.

Of the seven tracks, two are instrumentals – the ambient horror jazz of Companions In Misfortune, and Constance sit alongside each other at the EP’s heart. Musically, the latter is probably the most interesting composition here – its eight bit polyrhythms twist and turn, but never head in an expected direction. It’s just a shame it doesn’t feature lyrics and vocals, as some of the fully worked tracks here do show flashes of splendour.

Opener, Canto!, is decent enough – it carries a strong Cox vocal, but its repeated refrain quickly becomes tiresome, and you can’t help but feel like the Deerhunter man going is through the motions. However, lead single, Secretary (led by Le Bon), and the abstract duet, Fireman, are both excellent. As is the EP’s final jigsaw piece, What Is She Wearing, which sees the songstress channel her fellow Welsh native, John Cale, across a primitive, madcap tale of a shoeless character who wanders the village buying ‘5p carrier bags’, wearing a ‘terrible t-shirt’ and with hair like a ‘bird’s nest’. Exactly the kind of nonsense one hoped the pair would have produced, but that is missing across the collection as a whole!

Having been composed and recorded in just one week, one wonders – with more time – what Le Bon and Cox could have conjured up. But, sometimes in art, it is about capturing the moment. Myths 004 certainly feels like the pair had a wonderful time making the record – it’s just not quite as consistently fun to listen to.

Secret Meeting score: 72

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