Orlando: The Early Warning Company

Orlando

Dutch septet Orlando have built their songs like a house of cards, raising the stakes with each new layer. It's a gentle process and with a lot of patience and skill they've created an album where every note is in place. The Early Warning Company doesn't exist in the real world, although it would really helpful if there was a such service that would stop shit before it happened.

With three brass players and three vocalists there's plenty of opportunity to explore various textures and intricate harmonies. Lead singer and songwriter Tessa Douwstra is a pied piper guiding her band through complex arrangements. Most of the songs are subdued, but when the guitars do speak up - and quite loudly at that - the spell doesn't get broken. They are used to raise the curtains, highlighting the other musicians on stage. The joyous lead single Show Me Where The Bullets Go has pretty dark lyrics, while the slow Leave A Key is optimistic . Those contrasts take their time to show themselves, but it's well worth your time to track them down. Superb complex pop augmented by jazz and folk.

Orlando:
Tessa Douwstra: vocals, guitar
Bernadette Evers: trombone
Frank van Kasteren: guitar, vocals
Morris Kliphuis: French horn
Ralf Pouw: bass, vocals
Viktor van Woudenberg: drums, vocals
Coos Zwagerman: trumpet