by Dave
Clor – ‘Clor’ (album)
To the untrained ear, ‘Clor’ is just a big messy mash of nonsensical
music oddities with a constipated singer wailing over the top of it
all. But being an experienced music freak, I can see past this. The
opening track ‘Good Stuff’, is almost perfect; gentler than the other
songs, an experimental bombardment of sound, Barry Dobbin’s strained
vocals complimenting the slick sharpness of the production. Each song
has it’s unique style, often bursting into strange and interesting
crescendos.
Clor bring The Stranglers-esque 80’s eccentricities back to the fore.
About time too.
Idlewild – ‘El Capitan’ (single)
It seems the lovely Idlewild have gone all romanticized on us. ‘El
Capitan’ glows with joyous positivity, while the lyrics bear an
unhappy sentiment. The latter isn’t so uncommon with the band, but a
smile-worthy song from the lads? Blimey. The layered melodies cascade
in that unmistakable soft-rock indie way, and if you’re looking for a
chill-out track, the b-side is an acoustic version of ‘El Capitan’,
drenched in violins and nimble piano work. This song is surely the
jewel in any Idlewild performance.
Headrush – ‘A Thousand Pictures’ EP
You know when you stand up too fast and you go dizzy? It’s called a
headrush. Listening to the band of the same name, you’re more likely
to have a minor haemorrhage – and I mean that in a very good way.
‘Just Bring It On’ strides fearlessly into a drum intro that shows the
unsuspecting listener exactly what Headrush are made of from the very
start; and that’s pure balls-out rock. In a similar Glitterati vein,
the band create an incredibly raw feeling to their music, much sought
after by all fans of groin-led metal.
In a very Guns ‘N’ Roses, the whole EP is an unpredictable ride. Just
when you think things are slowing down, an enormous riff will smack
you in a face.
Headrush’s catchphrase (yes, they have their own already) sums ‘A
Thousand Pictures’ up perfectly:
“Back again… Rock ‘n’ roll.”
The Redwalls – ‘De Nova’ (album)
This is American indie at its purest. Across the pond, indie is a much
overlooked genre. That is, until The Redwalls escaped the confines of
Chicago and let the Brits know that they can do it too. A hot choice
for supporting Oasis, this band’s laid-back approach to music, as
displayed in ‘Falling Down’ is the trick. They don’t try too hard.
This comes naturally to them, these relaxing rock riffs and
smile-inducing melodies. I just hope they don’t turn into egocentric
sods like The Killers did.
Morning Runner – ‘Gone Up In Flames’ (single)
What a wonderful choice for their second single. ‘Gone Up In Flames’
is the warm, light-hearted chewy centre in the midst of all the
darker, soulful stuff of the past EP, ‘Drawing Shapes’. Very
Starsailor, very ‘Drops Of Jupiter’ (Train), very big, and very
clever. It’s like a Coral b-side that got lost somewhere along the
way. Bouncy, energetic and passionate, putting their own spin on
modern indie pop.
Too damn good to be supporting Coldplay. They should be headlining
their own stadium tours
