Not only a brilliant name for a band, I’m a sucker for the weird and historical so this one really works for me, but a great song too. What If runs along gentle indie-rock lines but so skilfully that it never falls into the usual traps that either genre has to offer. It blends jazzy offbeat quirk with smooth and soulful undercurrents. It beats the singer-songwriter at their own game and weaves musical motifs and instrumental intricacy through the songs heart in a way that only a full, but well edited and understated, band can.
Now I would probably be remiss in my duties as a journalist if I didn’t try to sound clever and more knowledgable than everyone else, so at this point I will offer The Liberty Horses as a comparison, a little known band which acted as a musical vehicle for the MacColl brothers in the 90’s. Last Charge of The Light Horse play with the same pristine pop, same folky vibes and the same deft songwriting. It works for me.
