The Naked Hearts

These Knees EP

Written by: PP on 18/05/2009 12:32:39

Bass-heavy New York indie rock duo The Naked Hearts fall quite a bit outside my usual review bounds, but what the heck. The short history of the act goes as follows: Amy Cooper meets Noah Wheeler on tour while playing the same venue, they gain some sort of chemistry and start writing together, and here we are with "These Knees", a six track debut EP that displays the band's love for old school 80s bands like Pixies with a pinch of The Breeders on top.

The record starts off with a groovy bass line in "Cat & Mouse" that reminds me of The White Stripes more than anyone else, at least in the beginning. Tempos are purposefully slow to allow Amy and Noah's male/female dual-vocal dynamic to work its magic: the focus of the EP is on hauntingly beautiful vocal melodies that are delivered with the arrogant attitude and vibe predominantly found in many of the indie bands that TL reviews from time to time. "No One Nothing" is the best song on the EP. I'm not exactly sure why it works as well as it does, but the minimalistic instrumentation and the care-free vocal delivery of Amy Cooper is wonderful here. I find myself singing along to the chorus every time against my will, and that's definitely a good sign.

But other than mentioning indie rock arrogance, groovy bass-lines and great vocal melodies, there isn't much else to talk about The Naked Hearts. They're so indie rock it hurts, and usually when that's the case, you either have to be incredibly experimental or just plain fantastic otherwise for there to be much to be said about your band. That being said, "These Knees EP" is an enjoyable effort, no less.

Download: No One Nothing
For the fans of: Pixies, The White Stripes, The Breeders
Listen: Myspace

Release date 20.01.2009
UNSIGNED BAND

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