Bombay Bicycle Club
“Rinse Me Down”
I remember the first time I heard Bombay Bicycle Club. I was sitting in my cramped Oakland bedroom bored out of my mind. I used to take walks up to Berkeley just to keep my head straight, but this night I decided to indulge in the latest British indie to clear my mind. When I first put on “Always Like This,” I thought it sucked. It felt like a cheap Dave Matthews rip-off, which is an unpardonable sin. After the first part of this song past, I became intrigued by the changing tone of vocals and instrumentation. By the end, it was clear this young band was extraordinarily confident and talented.
Bombay Bicycle Club released their debut album in July of 2009. They released their 2nd album just a year later this last July. Flaws is an all acoustic album, which is a bold move for any band, let alone, such a young band. BBC is burgeoning with enough talent and ambition to actually pull it off. They have not received much praise over here, but they have gotten a smattering of buzz in the UK. Flaws debuted at number 9 in the UK charts. “Rinse Me Down” is the first single from their new album, and it has been featured pretty regularly on Zane Lowe’s Radio One show.
“Rinse Me Down” is a gorgeous song that probably won’t hit you until about four listens into it. It took me at least that long to fully appreciate the delicate and intense emotion underlying the folksy sound. I am not a fan of the recent folk resurgence in the UK scene, but Bombay Bicycle Club puts most of the scene to shame with this song. It’s soft but not weak; sincere but not over-wrought; sad but not full of self-pity. I think Bombay Bicycle Club is one of the most interesting, talented, and decisive bands in the UK.
The Vaccines
“If You Wanna”
I know nothing about The Vaccines. No one else does either apparently. They are from the UK, and they are brand new. “If You Wanna” is great garage pop song. It asks nothing, and gives a little sweetness in return. Nothing revolutionary, but a fun song by a group that hopefully can expand more on this tried n’ true sound to create something a little more enduring.
I Blame Coco
“Self-Machine”
This is not my typical “go to” sound for reviewing newer tracks, but I am a sucker for arpeggio synth bass-lines and high quality production. “Self-Machine” has both and much more to offer. To begin, I have one main problem with this blasting pop song. The transition from verse to chorus is atrocious. It’s really unacceptably bad. Beyond that, I could listen to this song, and I have, over and over. The vocals are not special, but they work well with the instrumentation. The hooks are bold but not overbearing.
Two interesting bits of information about I Blame Coco. She is the daughter of Sting, and she was born, yes born, in 1990. Not sure how to incorporate either of those facts into my feelings about this song, but I think she has a great voice. She may not have programmed the beats and synths, but she definitely holds her own on the vocals.