I generally despair of any article that starts out by mentioning how young a band is. I would imagine that, in a post-Cajun bloody Dance Party world, we are pretty much beyond surprise when it comes to the youthfulness of our musicians. That said, Alloy Ark could well be nine years old. Watching them live, it is easy to catch yourself marvelling at the talent demonstrated by ones so young.
Alloy Ark are a boy-meets-girl duo, her on piano and vocals, him on drums (as in two drums, rather than a drum kit) and occasional miscellanea. Onstage and on record they exude the beautiful naivety of two people completely untouched by the horrible, aggressive cynicism that seems to pervade so many bands – bands, it must be said, that are generally made up of young men. They don’t seem to be natural performers but it really doesn’t matter; they write wispy little two-minute, major-chord songs that, in any other hands, would probably be too twee to bear. But her rasping falsetto and perpetually melancholic delivery, never over-done but never self-consciously restrained, hints at something darker and more complex.
As far as I can tell, Alloy Ark have as yet only played about a dozen shows – but I suspect this situation will change quite quickly when the West London crowd pricks up their ears. In the meantime, head for their Myspace for a few characteristically charming home recordings.
Listen: Myspace
