Cantona
A Sort of Smile
self-release
All bands start out as local bands. It’s easy to forget that REM started out playing parties in Athens. As I write this, Cantona is still a local band in Seattle, Washington. Sometimes, the best bands don’t make it to the big time, but I really hope that Cantona get their break and find a national following.
A Sort of Smile is sort of a tease. At six songs, it only hints at what the band can deliver and leaves me wanting more. I like Leslie Beattie’s casual, yet incisive vocal delivery. I enjoy the way songs like “So Sad (So Fine)” sketch out a story with little details and small turns of phrase. I like the way “Girl Show!” turns a bad turn in a relationship into a reason to raise a little hell. Guitarist Glenn Pittaway brings the ghost of Peter Buck (when he still played rock and roll) to “Run Boy Run,” proving that there is still room for good jangle pop in the world.
I might as well mention that Cantona is part of the ever expanding My Space universe. Their page has a few songs from A Sort of Smile and a few that didn’t make the disc. Take a look at http://www.myspace.com/cantona.
Cantona: http://www.cantonamusic.com
