Future Sounds #8 - November 2007
After the customary delay, mostly spent clearing an exit through demo CDs, you find us once again in the (occasionally) enviable position of finding bands at the beginning of their emergence into what must now be an increasingly cruel, even wider world of free music and downloads - a situation the ashes of last month's 'Nakeru' are embracing.
If you remember, last month we found an old demo of the frankly wonderful 'Long Walks On the Beach' by defunct band Nakeru. Following a little research Future Sounds located their new incarnation, LAW, who full of benevolence, are happy to share their new output for free, much like the millionaires Radiohead and Prince, though without the millionaire bit. It seems Nakeru ran its course, and in its place comes this intimate, guitarless, lo-fi album. 'Broken Record' is a bitter-sweet duet between a male realist and a treated 'cartoon' voice, with cheap electronics, a driving beat and soulful melody which shouldn't work- but does, while on 'Headphones' the voice finds some real muscle in its melody over a fuzzy baseline, and what sounds suspiciously like a xylophone, which blend sweetly enough to reveal a soaring tune, capped off by gorgeous, loping multi-tracked backing vocals. These songs are like immediate best friends and although it seems LAW have lost the desire to spread their sound commercially, make an effort to pick up their entire first album before they change their mind by visiting this here MySpace page.
There's something uniquely genuine about LAW's lack of commercial drive (or realism in these busy times) and their home-baked album making. If you enjoy this album, then look out, as LAW are currently (slowly) working on a 2nd album, as and when the 9-5 allows.
Sometimes you just get a good feeling and boy do The Shadow Project mine it on A Beauty To Fight For. A feather floating on water for a cover always implies a certain sound and class. They are not carving a new wheel, but they're chiming, electronic-laced, soaring in such an assured manner they're hard to dislike. They're like all those tremendous Scottish bands of the late 80's, wrong footed by a zeitgeist, not poor songwriting, who sadly never made it.
The female vocal on 'All The Pretty Things' is sublime, while the lead male could benefit from more confidence, but unusually the voice is used as part of the sound, as opposed to fronting the backing. The band name is entirely appropriate and it's laid back and competently produced with a delicacy generally unseen in this column. The unexpected use of vocoder at the end is a genuine pop moment and the sort of thing that makes the Future Sounds spade work worthwhile.
Otherwise it is mostly instrumentals, possibly borne from the jamming process that the Verve mine so effectively. On 'Don't Be Stranger' the vocal finally joins the instrumental and fades to waves, like a latter day Roxy Music, but ultimately there's too much to say about this album and the music should do the talking, which although perhaps is too much for one sitting, is genuinely assured stuff.
THE SHADOW PROJECT: WEBSITE / MYSPACE
Cartoonist and veteran musician of the late 90's Basha House sessions in Hackney Wick, Wayne Myers released an album under the name of Fit and the Conniptions earlier this year, 'Bless Your Heart, while here we look at a shorter Four Song Demo. And it's befuddling stuff - tuneful - yes, lyrically sparse, a combination of simple, early rock tunes that hit to the point. The problem is that the songs are possibly a little too self-explanatory - for music like this to work it needs to operate on several levels; and with song titles like 'Drinking On My Own Again' there isn't much scope allowed for different interpretations. However, there is something quite raw and back to the roots about this pleasingly named-bunch, like rockabilly with elastic bands. Ultimately the lack of lyrical ambition is either genius, or foolish - and it really is a very thin line, as we change our mind once again; we won't tell you which way, but perhaps make up your own.
FIT AND THE CONNIPTIONS: WEBSITE / MYSPACE
So with Christmas on its way and with The Heartstrings, first reviewed here this time last year, about to release an album imminently (review to follow), there is much to look forward to, not to mention all those best of the year lists that'll make you wonder either 'where you've been all year?', or which simply illustrate exactly how many people it is you disagree with over music. So until next time, let's see what the rest of the team have been up to...
Reviews on this page by Tom Hocknell.
Toby Hayes, the man behind Shoes And Socks Off, is probably better known to you as former lead singer with critically acclaimed jerky hardcore mob Meet Me In St Louis. He's the guy who announced that he was leaving his ex-band mere months after the much-heralded release of their debut album, Variations On Swing, prompting shocked expressions to hit pale faces of emo kids nationwide. Quietly, Hayes has been making his own music as well as playing in his 'main' band for a while now, originally under the Mistletoe moniker before switching to his current guise earlier this year. Incidentally, he also moonlights for trashy noise-mongers Shield Your Eyes, and puts out his own and other people's music via the Run For Your Life label. Busy dude. After listening to Shoes And Socks Off, Hayes' early departure from MMISL seems more logical - the schizophrenic dynamics of their songs would never have allowed him the space for the kind of intimate melodies present throughout songs like 'Epic Sweet Proportions'. Acoustic guitars and gently abstract observations are the order of the day, but don't fret - these songs never approach the bland traps so many contemporary singer-songwriters fall into - check the furious strumming and sneering, sloganeering lyrics of 'I'm A World Class Assassin' for proof. The lo-fi production values and low-key approach suggest he's trying to start from scratch away from the precedents set by his old band, let's hope it works out a little better for him this time.
P.S. Check Toby out live, he does a mean version of 'Wolf At The Door'.
SHOES AND SOCKS OFF: MYSPACE
Another month, another 8bitpeoples release gets a Future Sounds shout out. Last time it was Random's Gameboy-fuelled reworking of '90s dance-pop, and now it's the turn of California resident Mr Spastic's technicolour electro beats on Uber l33t n00b br34k5. Although both artists use a similar set of basic sounds, Mr Spastic's crazed music couldn't be further from the crisp sheen of Random's last EP, proving just how diverse chip music has become of late. Opener 'Net' is Eighties-influenced electro-rap a la Spank Rock, and the robo-funk of 'Ichi Ni San Cuatro' keeps the tempo fast with a guest verse from Steven Hawking. Throughout, Mr Spastic expands his palette way beyond the traditional video game-faithful blips and buzzes - this is up there with Anamanaguchi's 'Power Supply' (also on 8bitpeoples), as one of the most innovative and deftly executed releases in a young genre where many are struggling to find a original slant. 'QWERTY' in particular, with its skittering hi-hats and synthetic chord stabs, is easily one of the best songs of the year, in any genre - if your head isn't nodding within 10 seconds then you're weird. The production is sharp and retro-futurist throughout, light years ahead of the indie-guitar multitudes who send us demos sounding like they were recorded in biscuit tins. On the down side, I'm not as keen on the drum n' bass-ish songs, 'Spastic Break Fest' and 'Uber l33t n00b br34k5' as the other three tunes, but nevertheless they utterly pummel the rest of the demo mailbag into submission.
MR. SPASTIC: MYSPACE
It's not often in these musically over-saturated days you come across a band who are writing and releasing great music whilst still apparently unaffiliated with a record label, but I think I've found one. I could be wrong - there could be a shady major pulling the strings behind the scenes whilst keeping quiet to maintain Hey Champ's independent appearance, but somehow I think not. If you're into The Shins' up-tempo stuff or perhaps Rooney you're probably going to like these guys, maybe even love them. 'The Underpass' which was released on their 2006 'A La Mode' EP is their indisputable masterpiece, slotting in snugly alongside Brendan Benson, Marshall Crenshaw and all the other power-pop luminaries. Breezy happiness and gentle melancholy play off each other within these four-and-a-bit-minutes just like they do in any other classic pop song. Also fantastic is 'Word Equals War' from this year's full length (currently available from iTunes) 'Li(v)e', with it's Cars-esque synth lines and perfectly formed teen-movie mood. Less convincing is the instrumental electro-meets-crushing guitars blunder of 'Raydar' - I for one am praying every night that this isn't their new direction. There's little else to say other than hurry up and check Hey Champ out, then add them to your myspace friends before UNCUT gets a sniff of them and all hell breaks loose.
HEY CHAMP: MYSPACE
Reviews on this page by Chris Pratt.