CD Singles Club #18 – Stricken City – Pull the House Down

Let me be clear, I don’t dance. I never could dance. I never will dance. I am the Sir Nose of dancing. (Put me down, let go my leg, etc.)

Given this, it shouldn’t be surprising for you to learn that I tend not to like “dance” music. (I put that word in quotation marks because one could dance to anything, even silence. Clearly, I’m referring to a particular genre of music. Don’t be coy – you know exactly what I’m talking about. Stop being a contrarian.)

However, when I do like “dance” music, I tend to really like it, almost becoming a secular evangelist (read: my borderline-obsessive and hysterical endorsement of the recent Phenomenal Handclaps album).

Thanks to London group Stricken City, we might have another case of hysterics and obsession on our hands. We won’t know for a little while yet, as they haven’t dropped their album, but judging from their single, “Pull the House Down,” there’s a solid chance.

Even with the four-on-the-floor club beat which is usually an excellent predictor that I will not like a song, “Pull the House Down” possesses a charm and indie edge that overcomes my bias almost immediately. The fact that Rebekah Raa has a voice that combines the throaty poutiness of Victoria Bergstrom with the prettiness of Françoise Hardy doesn’t hurt. Also, maracas. When was the last time they sounded so cool?

Stricken City – Pull the House Down