Presents For Sally
Presents For Sally is a shoegaze/indie pop trio from England. Perhaps or perhaps not from a tiny town called Stoke-sub-Hamdon in the very south and western bits of England. If the UK is a witch riding a pig, they’re from just below the hog’s jowls. I don’t mean to give offense with that reference. It’s just what we were taught in school in the southeastern United States when I was a kid many years ago.
The members of the band are the husband and wife team of Matt and Anna Etherton plus drummer Luke Feierabend. Presents for Sally formed sometime between 2005 and 2010, and they released their debut album A Touch of Joy, A Touch of Sadness in the autumn of 2010. In 2011, they signed to the incredible Texas-based shoegaze-centric label Saint Marie Records. They’ve yet to release anything for that venerable label, but they’ve released a few things on their own dime, including a a four-song EP called Sing late last year. I think I read somewhere that the proceeds from the sale of that EP went to a charitable cause in the name of an American friend of theirs who was suffering from some terminal illness. Unfortunately, I can’t retrace my steps enough to find that source.
They say that their influences are really varied, but it’s easy to tell that they’re influenced by some of the heavies from the heyday of UK shoegaze and other indie bands from the 1990s. Most certainly Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. In this song, I detect a little bit of influence from
Mars Audiac Quintet-era Stereolab. Some of the song titles (“Catch Your Fall”, “I Don’t Know Why”) on the album seem like vague references to The Darling Buds. The album title definitely sounds like a reference to the fantastic Rocketship album A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. That, itself, was a reference to a 1966 album of the same name by Astrud Gilberto. The same lady who made “The Girl From Ipanema” famous.
Enough about that. Tonight’s song:
“I Don’t Know Why” by Presents For Sally
It’s that intro that’s all Stereolab-y. After that, it’s sort of a guitar-happy pop song. Midway through, there’s a bit (but not too much) reverb, delay, and feedback. Everybody knows how much I love effects-laden guitar pop, but I like that this song doesn’t take it too far with that. This way, instead of being blown away by a wall of crazily-layered effects, it’s just fun. The way pop music is supposed to be. It’s sunny and warm, with just a few rainclouds lingering.
I’m not sure what the specific plans are, but I think there are plans to release a sophomore album. Let’s hope so.
You can buy a physical or digital version of A Touch of Joy, A Touch of Sadness from the Presents for Sally bandcamp page here.
this is that song 
Leave a comment