The Loose Salute – “Happy I Don’t Count” Video (PopMatters Premiere)

Ian McCutcheon’s past work as a drummer with Slowdive and Mojave 3 prepared him well for the dream pop landscapes he paints as frontman with his new band, The Loose Salute. A relaxed Cornwall beach vibe suffuses the group’s music as we heard on their debut Tuned to Love (2007) and now again four years later on the follow-up Getting Over Being Under, which released early this month via Graveface. The Loose Salute’s influences are deliciously diverse, ranging from the expected West Coast jangle pop and the Beach Boys to the more countrifried sounds of Nashville and a bit of Southwestern desert expansiveness. You get a taste of that Sourthwestern vibe on “Perhaps She’ll Fly” with its Calexico-esque horns. Meanwhile, it’s back to pure dreaminess for “Happy I Don’t Count”, a breathy, atmospheric song custom built for the legions of Belle & Sebastian fans out there.

The Loose Salute ‘Happy I Don’t Count’ by Graveface Records