Fits

White Denim’s ramshackle debut Workout Holiday showcased a band with a penchant for songs that start in one place, end in entirely another and usually visit a few others in between.  Not all of their ideas worked, but at their best, on Heart From Us All, or Sitting, they were possessed of talent and charm, with the ability to surprise the listener.

Fits takes up where Workout Holiday left off.  White Denim still love 70’s funk, garage rock and psychedelia, and still display the same affection for blues rock boogaloo and the same willingness to try anything once.  Your affection for tracks like Say What You Want and Hard Attack probably depend on which side of the fence you stand with regard to Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica.  There are undoubtedly good moments and there’s fun to be had, but it can all begin to feel a bit like hard work.

Gloriously, eight songs in, they unleash the gorgeous, gentle Paint Yourself.  Its arrival cuts through the record like a ray of sunshine, much as Under Control did on The Strokes’ Room on Fire.  It’s superb, the fact that the vocals sound like they were recorded in a bathroom failing to mask the rich timbre of James Petralli’s voice.  Better yet, it turns out to be the first in a succession of slower, less frenetic numbers that close out the record.  These are invariably excellent - best of all is Regina Holding Hands, a stunning soul tune, and their best song to date.  When they drop the pace a couple of notches and stick to one or two ideas per song, White Denim are capable of being as good as anyone.  Fits is half a great album, and half a decent one.