By: Daniel Wipert
New Music Express has been publishing top-notch music criticism since the beginning of what was once called Rock ‘n’ Roll. This currently ubiquitous genre did not exist when my parents were born. The medium is still so young, but the style has developed and fragmented at a nearly exponential rate in last sixty years. NME has been there the whole time, and they have always upheld a high standard of criticism. While they are prone to hyperbole, there is no other publication that cuts through the cacophony of bands, songs, and fads better than NME to find superior music and artists. Their American counterpoint would definitely be Pitchfork, who are much more reserved and a little more pretentious than NME.
Nine times out ten, an amazing new artist is mentioned in NME before almost anywhere else. They have an uncanny ability to find new bands that are creating rich, innovate music. They go out on a limb for some bands who most certainly don’t deserve it (Klaxons anyone?), but their batting average would put them in Cooperstown for sure. NME just released their list of the Top New Band of 2010. For music critics, this is basically a cheat sheet for the rest of the year as well as the first half of 2011. A lot of the bands on the list are already pretty well known (Best Coast, The Drums), but there are many who have not had a lot of, if any, exposure. I have gone through the list and picked some highlights and lowlights. Here is your cheat sheet to the cheat sheet, your spark notes for the cliff notes.
Most Interesting
I had to listen to this track a few times to really get a sense of what was going on. There seems to be two songs going on here. One is a fairly non-eventful drone soundscape, and underneath this is another much more dynamic song. While I would not say this is as good as the Most Interesting tracks I covered in Part I of this feature, I do think Wu Lyf has created something interesting and unique. This song does not necessarily reach the “brilliant” level, but there is a lot of potential in what they are doing.
The sound of this record demands immediate attention. Unlike a lot of the newer music out there, MNDR is utilizing a large spectrum of the available aural canvass. The lyrics and vocals are fairly pedestrian, but much like Wu Lfy, one can hear a lot of potential in what is going on here. This track is produced with such fullness that it seems to almost confront the fuzz/lo-fi/garage pop trend of Best Coast and the Dum Dum Girls.
Solid Grooves
I downloaded this song a few months ago, and I have come to actually despise it. On the first few listens, the frantic style and ram-shackle sound are very attractive. When the needle starts to wear, the sound borders on annoying. In spite of this, I must admit the song is constructed so well with such rich texturing that it is hard to hate it all that much. Everything Everything might have a good chance to crossover to the mainstream alt radio stations in America. They have a tight sound that does not stray too far from the “paint-by-numbers” indie that has populated the airwaves in the last decade. Look for them on the next episode of Gossip Girl.
I have already written about Chapel Club and their song “O, Maybe I,” which I used as a platform to launch into how I think indie rock is dead. Well, I was slightly in the wrong. That song is one of my favorites of the year, and I am beginning to find trad indie rock bands that are making some decent music (Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin). I am not sure if the genre will ever again be as ubiquitous and annoying as it was around 2007, but Chapel Club is trying to infuse the indie rock song with an added bit of wit that doesn’t come across as smug and self-righteous. “Five Trees” further establishes Chapel Club as one of the best new bands who traffic in guitar, bass, and drums. Also it should be noted that NME’s comment on Chapel Club is both hilarious and true: “Aching with romantic possibility, its like Editors before they got rubbish.”
I first came across this band when their debut single “NYC Moves To The Sound Of L.A,” became hip to name-drop. Well that song did not do much for me. Some people (I think NME) were calling them the west coast version of Rapture. This is ridiculous, but Funeral Party is definitely an interesting band worth checking out. “Where Did It All Go Wrong?” is a fun track that doesn’t aspire to do much more than exude disco-punk revelry. Their debut EP was produced very well and has a rich sound. I am not sure Funeral Party is doing anything substantive besides making some exciting party music, but I suppose there is always a time and place to boogie .
Resolutely Undecided
This is one of those bands that keeps coming up again and again on the BBC playlists and hip blogs. I have tried to get into what they are doing a few times. I just don’t see what the excitement is. Frankie and the Heartstrings is strange in that distinctly British way. They have gotten popular over there from their supposedly fantastic live shows. I will take their word for it, but the studio work is decidedly unspectacular. I am thinking perhaps the band has not yet reached its full potential.
I could probably write a short paper on this band. They got internet famous as NY Subway buskers, and now they are a bona fide indie rock buzz band. I had the pleasure of seeing them live here in Portland to a packed house. They seemed like some of the nicest people in the world. That being said their music is about a wink and nod away from Owl City. They are aping trends left and right, but they do a great job of it. At the end of the day, their music is harmless, slightly-enjoyable fluff.
Is it Over Yet? aka Snooze Alert aka Lord of the Borings
The fuzz pop trend crested earlier this year. Best Coast’s album is great, but I hope it spells the end of this mostly annoying development. Now that the British have gotten a hold of it, it will certainly die a quick death. This song is probably one of the most boring things I have heard all year. Veronica Falls would be fit nicely on the soundtrack to the Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist sequel: I Went To College and All I Got Was Crippling Debt and a Shitty Job At Starbucks.
Looking over my previous Is It Over Yet? entries, I noticed they are all women. Perhaps I have an unconscious fear of the feminine, or perhaps these artists are boring and offer little to nothing in terms of significant art. Despite her powerful voice, I don’t see what Maguire is offering. This song sounds like an Alicia Keys b-side in all the worst ways. I really don’t get music without “beat-you-over-the-head” hooks, which is why I never got into jazz and why I will always hate this song.