Tomlab | The first thing you might notice about Gigi : The drums are heavy, booming, almost epic. Not of the thrashing, bashing double-bass kind, but those of a large, looming, almost militaristic fashion–which lends sort of an odd sound to what at first seems like such a run-of-the-mill indie folk band. Mind you this isn’t on every song, but it still helps add a touch of the unique to the band. And having some extremely talented backup singers helps as well: take, for instance, the Astrud Gilberto-sounding “Marquee”, reminiscent of that golden era of bossa nova, only redefined under Gigi’s own sound.

Then there’s tracks like “No, My Heart Will Go On,” which verges eerily on Dusty Springfield territory. Their new album, Maintenant, has been 3 years in the making, and you can hear every minute that went into it. Particularly noteworthy is this track, reminiscent of The Everly Brothers, or even some classic Beach Boys:

Gigi – The Old Graveyard (Karl Blau)

Words by Jeff Nau