In Stores Now: Speak Up by the Guild League

Biblical emblem from J.A. Fridrich's Printers Proofs of Emblem Engravings, 1717

We bid farewell to Australia's much-loved Lucksmiths earlier this year, but there may be a silver lining to that cloud. Lucksmiths lead vocalist Tali White didn't write much of that band's material, saving his songs for his other "band", a loose collective called the Guild League. Over seven years, the Guild League has somehow turned into a real band with six core members, and their most recent record, Speak Up is the tightest, most accomplished record they've turned out. It was released pretty quietly in December of last year, but I only started hearing about it a few months ago, so I'm counting it as a new release for the purposes of categorization.

The one thing I never would have expected to hear in Tali White's gentle indie-pop songs is a heavy ska influence, but it's all over this record. Most of the songs feature excellent horn arrangements, and I was surprised as a long-time hater of ska music that I find it really appealing. And the jubilant trumpet and sax embellishments fit this set of songs well, too - these songs are not the weary travelogues of earlier Guild League records or romantic sketches of the Lucksmiths. There's a real sense of urgency and advocacy in these songs, from the "Come on!" rallying cries of "Mouse vs. Mountain" to the "Speak up! Speak up!" chorus of "Where's the Colour?", it's obvious that White is all riled up about something. The album has its token travelogue song ("Limited Express") and a couple pretty ballads as well, the best being the closing track, "Incandescent" which features an outro with lovely guest vocals from Bec Rigby.

Some experiments on the album don't work, like the menacing spy-theme guitar on "If Not Now...", but the Guild League has never been afraid of trying new things (go back to their debut record and listen to Tali White's "rapping" on "Siamese Couplets" for proof.) But at least it's never boring, and when they're firing on all cylinders, the Guild League are as good as any indie-pop band in the business. They really exceed expectations on my favorite Speak Up track, "Suit Fits". It's a bouncy pop song bolstered by some smooth horn lines and a couple fun breakdowns - the chanting gang vocals in the breaks between verses are great fun, and it builds to a nice big finish, with White yelling with uncharacteristic verve over the final chord. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the breakup of the Lucksmiths doesn't meant that we've heard the last of this group as well.

"Suit Fits" by the Guild League