Polica

I have to admit, at first, I didn’t quite get Polica. I know, I know, everyone is toootally in love with them at the moment and people claim they are Jay-Z’s new favorite Indie band. Now I am well on Jay-Z’s team (if he really did say that). All I’m saying is, it took me a while to get there.

I first discovered Polica, not through my own passionate and professional research (I’m taking the piss out of myself, just as a note, in case some numpty thought I was being serious and well up myself), but, through a friend playing it to another friend. While both of my mate were a bit like “Oh.em.gee. this is so amazing’ I was going more in the direction of ‘yeah it quite nice, but who is this woman from the nineties?’

Now I am aware that Polica has Drum and Bass and all sorts of craziness in it; but at first I was reminded of super traveller trip hop. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing. However I was reminded of some 19 year olds practicing fire poi on a beach in Thailand listening to ‘I see my mother’, before they go and lie in a hammock, drinking a mango lassi and listening to ‘Lay your cards out’. Again not necessarily a cuss. Nothing I haven’t done. Also the friend, who introduced me to Polica, is a fire poi teacher and I met her in Thailand. So you know, you can see that this connection is just down to the simple wiring of my brain, rather than the music. I can see that now too.

It just took me a while; but the more I listen to Polica’s ‘Give you the Ghost’ the more I love it. While this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about the singer, Channy Leaneagh’s haunted vocals, I am not going to do that, as I feel is much more to them, than just the ‘haunted’ cliche. Granted, there is an element of it in her vocals, but there is also incredible strength and versatility. Allegedly Channy herself, has said that she has come to see them more as an instrument, than ‘just’ vocals and I couldn’t agree more. There is a richness no them and the variety of effects used on them, give the song a whole new dimension.

The lyrics are simplistic, but by no means shallow and leave plenty of room for interpretation, which is always a bonus in my book. Yes Carly Rae Japsen, or whatever your called, have a listen. learn. ‘this is crazy, but call me maybe’. Really? I mean really??? I ‘d like to meet the buffoon calling you after such a remarkable display of intelligence and creativity. Actually I wouldn’t.

Anyway, I’m waffling again. Polica. Yes. Besides the vocals and lyrics being refreshing and soothing all at once, the idea of bringing Drum and Bass into their music was a stroke of genius; and I don’t even like Drum and Bass anymore. I was over it; got really bored of it; could not imagine that I could find it interesting so soon again. However with Polica it works. Maybe because it only borrows elements form it and does not sound like a Drum and Bass track, or a R’n’B song. I guess this is why I have come to love them so much. Polica to me don’t sound like any stereotypical music, that could represent one genre. Instead they seem to effortlessly borrow or fuse different styles from the past and present and create something you can see becoming a part of your music life.

Now when I think of Polica I think of  space – not planets and stars and that shizzle – but a calm spot somewhere just for you, for a few minutes and taking a deep breath and finding that moment away from the madness, that is our life.

Having said that, with that metaphor, I probably just evoked the image of a bad metal video, with a greasy man standing on top of a mountain playing guitar. Totally not what they sound like. Oh I forgot to mention, also, Polica is not a woman form the nineties, but a band from Minneapolis. You should check them out, they are pretty amazing. Go on, have that quiet moment.

And they are touring at the moment, if you fancy checking them out live.

http://thisispolica.com/tour.php

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