So, just for fun-shine and joy-bows, indulge me in a hypothetical. Imagine you have the power of a major international media conglomerate fully behind you. Right at your fingertips: record label, television networks, publishing, film studio, web presence and functionally unlimited funds. Imagine that you can more or less fabricate pop culture movements on a whim, Wag the Dog-style. Finally, you get to choose what everyone is listening to and probably mocking online. In this mildly unrealistic scenario, who do you wrest from obscurity?
I’d likely put my (imaginary stockholders’) money on New Orleans’ own Big History. They seem practically designed for the current pop music market. Imagine Metric through a thin neon haze—post-punk riffs and electronic textures interlocked with Meg Roussel’s rich, legitimately enthralling vocals. Like any band aiming for success in the Internet age, Big History seems to recognize the importance of the artwork associated with their image: the sleeves for this release and their previous singles are each tastefully “cool” and will one day make for a serviceable reminder of what 2011 looked like (2011, of course, “looks like” the font Futura over a Hipstamatic print of Lana Del Rey).
More to the point: this EP is a remarkable step forward for this still-young band. It is produced with an airtight efficiency, and only occasionally do the electronic flourishes feel superfluous or forced. The core of this release is the one-two punch of “Every Bone” and “All At Once,” two songs that were clear showstoppers even in their early, unembellished live iterations. The studio setting has allowed the band to fully exploit their skill with atmospherics and mood; at many points this record calls to mind the xx or Antlers.
One probably shouldn’t base wild hyperbole on the basis of a single EP, but I’m going to anyway: Big History has the right sound at the right moment. The All At Once EP is a compelling, auspicious start for a band that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but expertly tweaks it.
