Outtakes or B-sides have a chequered past, its rare that either offer anything that enhances the original material. Often in the LP format you get albums that stay long past their welcome with 15 tracks diluting what could have been a punchy 10-12 masterpiece. So what do we have here, a marketing gimmick to sell the final few tickets of their tour or a genuine set of three tracks that you would actually listen to? Our gut feeling when the Portrait Outtakes landed on our desk was leaning towards the former, especially as the press release specifically mentions their upcoming KOKO show Feb 17th. However our interest was peeked and as we simultaneously clicked play and Googled KOKO Feb 17th we were empathetically slapped across the face with our very mis-guided pessimism. Firstly the music is more than worthy of being associated with the original LP and secondly the KOKO show is sold out. No gimmicks here just good music. If you know the album you know what to expect, and we dont think you’ll be disappointed. For those who are coming to Maribou State with fresh ears we’re confident that their exquisite and vibrant blend of live instrumentation, electronic beats and vocal melody lines will have you hooked…
