When Todd Marriott formed I Was A Cub Scout (understandably abreviated to IWACS) in 2006 it was a one-person synthpop act, a platform to deliver the tunes Todd created with a synth and a laptop. Listening to the songs from that early era, there's a clear lo-fi bedroom production vibe, but it never feels twee or un-ambitious; in fact, quite the opposite. William Bowerman joined up in mid 06, replacing the programmed beats with some (exceptional) live drums and further expanding the sound, leading up to IWACS's debut album, the charmingly titled I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope, released earlier this year.
IWACS create a unique type of music; I said it was "synthpop," but that's such a cursory description as to be almost insulting. Synths are certainly used extensively, and the overall sound is often of a pop-ish nature, but there's much more going on; Todd's lyrics, for one, hopeful and yearning yet wise beyond their years, poetic, heartfelt and intelligent, somewhat emo-y in the best possible ways in both content and delivery. The melodies are amazigly expressive, lilting along dreamily while still feeling grounded, occasional use of guitars or crowd-shouted vocals (or accordians) keeping it from ever approaching boring or predictable. And for synth-driven emo music, there's real depth, darkness often lurking just past the next euphoric chorus. Unfourtunate though it is that the band broke up this past summer, I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope is an album that lives up to its name.
I Was A Cub Scout - Echoes (zShare)
I Was A Cub Scout - Pink Squares (zShare)
I Was A Cub Scout official site
Buy I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope: CD and Vinyl / iTunes
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