I’m from the old school, I still find it disorientating that a ‘record release’ can take the form of a pile of digital information that arrives through the ether. But that’s what ‘Mountains’ is – a single track download release – although Dead Jerichos did also put it out as a very limited CD that were available at gigs only. I applaud that ethos: go to a gig, and there you’ll get the ‘real’ release.

Dead Jerichos’ previous recorded output has been met by me with thundering indifference. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re a great band, some of the hardest workin’ lads in Oxford showbiz, and all that, but the urgency and dominance that they display when playing live has never been fully captured on record. ‘Mountains’ is a very clever curveball, in that it’s a song that works much better on record than it would live. It’s dreamy and slow-paced for the most part, building around an infinitely echoing guitar line with very sparse drum rhythms and basslines. Vocals are low in the mix, and used sparingly. The song’s slow nature almost proves its downfall, but the song falls short of being nothing more than a heavily extended intro when it kicks in at the halfway point. Suddenly, doubling up the tempo and layering on further shimmers of guitar echo clears up any confusion about this being a band that is as indebted to the post-rock of Youthmovies, Foals et al as it is to the mod and post-punk sounds of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

It’s a shame the song isn’t longer – I would have liked more of that central section, before the echoed intro sounds are mirrored to see the track fade away. This is a release, though, that marks Dead Jerichos as more than a one-trick pony in a couple of respects. Not only is there more to them than might be immediately obvious from their scruffy, taut live performances, but it seems that they’re up for experimentation and have the intelligence to work on their recorded output as much as they obviously have on those live shows.

Listen to ‘Mountains’ here – it’ll be available through iTunes soon. Dead Jerichos’ MySpace page is here.