But what has MySpace ever done for
us
These folks either sent me a demo/single, sent one
to REPEAT or handed one out at a gig. If you want something reviewed,
just PM me here
and I'll give you a postal address...
1. Rosalita - Poptart (3-track demo)
Ipshit's young indie upstarts deliver a lead track with a weird kind
of Charleston feel that verges on the point of being over-quirky, falling
over the edge when the singer starts drivelling on about Poptarts burning
his mouth. Second track I'm in the Local is much better and far more
representative of their highly charged live show, and while the cheeky
chappy poppy keyboardy indie thing is getting a little overdone right
now, these young uns are definitely worth visiting www.myspace.com/rosalitaband
to see.
2. The Left Outsides - Leaving the Frozen Butterflies Behind (I
wish I Was Unpopular)
I can't make my mind up about this. On one level, it is hippy dippy
drivel, but then again, its really, really good hippy dippy drivel.
Four tracks, including two covers; The Brian Jonestown Masacre's The
Ballad of Jim Jones is done rather boringly and reverentially - can't
see what all the fuss is about them myself. Mercury Rev's Goddess on
a Hiway is, however, beautifully reworked, with Alison "Saloon"
Cotton making it her own with some beautiful viola and vocals. Of there
own tunes, I found the title track a hopeless flare-wearing 60s throwback,
but Take me to the Other Side is a fantastically dreamy lose yourself
tune, reminiscent of January at their peak. So, 50-50 then. Decide yourself
at www.myspace.com/theleftoutsides
3. Opaque - The Last Moustache (6-track album demo)
These guys are interesting. Lots of smoky lounge room strummy, almost
Spanish guitar accompanies a voice that lisps a little but delivers
a strong and individual sound (and some fine lyrics) with just enough
originality to keep you interested. Opaque are a little psychedelic
at times too, with some guitar noodling and odd keyboard breaks keeping
you on your toes. There are nods to the likes of Led Zep and all that
other 70s stoned guitar crap, while bits make me think of the chirpy
Kinks/Blur thing - there's even one that rips off Men at Work, but while
the influences are worn pretty obviously on their sleeves its what they
do with them that counts. Twirl your moustache at www.myspace.com/bandopaque
4. Kat Flint - The Secret Boy's Club EP (Naz Recordings)
I'm a sucker for a good female singer-songwriter, and our Kat is just
that. She has a tremendously agile voice and the production is magnificent,
with the subtle harmonies spot on. I've been lucky enough to see a wealth
of this kind of thing recently at Cambridges folk festival, and Kat
Flint is in a very similar mould to Polly Paulusma and a little less
ethereal than Martha Tilston, but equally impressive. The lyrics are
good too - I especially like "how does it feel to be a lonely girls
headrush?" in Headrush - and the fairytale feel of London Lullaby
is utterly beguiling. Great stuff. www.myspace.com/katflint
5. The Decades - City of Lights (2-track demo)
The Decades seem to be a pretty standard rock band bumming off The Stooges
in much the same way Primal Scream do, but with less pizzazz and a weaker,
more pub band vocal. I guess they don't have the Primals money, or production,
or drug/booze background to back up the rock clichés, but that's
no excuse for some of the gothy sub-Cult cliché and solos. Not
my bag, and there's certainly better than this around if you like this
sort of thing. www.myspace.com/thedecades
6. Summer Bullets - Tell Me Who You Are (3-track demo)
I like this a lot. Saw them in London a little while ago with about
six people in the crowd (no exaggeration) and they still put on a great
show, and this is a cracking tune. The singer makes me think of bands
like Pavement and Garlic but with more vocal edginess, plus rocky guitar
noise instead of country twang. The lead track is a bit poppy, a bit
coarse and catchy as hell, if a bit repetitive. But second tune Enemies
steals the show with a stonking driving riff and beat with a "hey
hey" chorus break that'd make any bouncing, sweaty indie crowd
happy. They'll probably never be trendy but they deserve to be loved.
www.myspace.com/summerbullets
7. Blankit More - Than You (3-track demo)
This is, frankly, poor. The production is amateur, the tracks cut out
before they finish, but the songs themselves don't really sound like
they'd get much from a good polishing anyway. I thought I'd give 'em
the benefit of the doubt though, and go to their myspaz page, and surprise
surprise none of theses tunes are on there. Instead, there are four
other poorly produced tracks that cut out half way instead. However,
Mexico Flood City shows promise in a pub pop-punk way. They're pretty
young, and from little acorns and all that, but this is a real, real
small acorn right now. www.myspace.com/blankit1
8. Alpha Road - No Dice (3-track demo)
Another young Cambridge band, but these guys are a bit bigger in the
acorn department (that sounds a bit rude doesn't it? Apologies). If
you were sorting out a sixth form gig, these guys would be the headline
act. They'd be the ones who could set everything up, plug everything
in and would have the most girlies oogling them by the end (although
that'd probably be down to the cider). Good structures, nice harmonies,
pretty well produced and with some sing-a-long-a lyrics, Alpha Road
wont be playing any of these songs in a couple of years - they'll probably
all be at uni by then anyway - but you can bet some of these lads have
the talent brewing to go on to great things. I wish them well but for
now, enjoy the girlies! www.myspace.com/alpharoad
9. Harrison - Greyscale (5-track demo)
Beautifully crafted indie gems ahoy! I haven't been reminded of Adorable
by a band for, well, ever, and its great to hear something reminiscent
of the criminally overlooked Creation gods. Opener Way Down is Creation
material all over, complete with swirly Slowdive-esque feedback, and
is an absolute belter. Cruiser is a little bit more emo-inspired (or
American indie, as it might be called nowadays - basically there's no
shouting) and almost as catchy. Inspiringly titled ... is an interlude
that returns to Slowdive territory, and the last two tracks tread similar
ground. If you miss early nineties Creation and have been won over by
American guitar pop from the past decade, you'll be in a happy place
with Harrison. www.myspace.com/harrisontheband
10. Names for Enemies - Denial is not a River in Egypt (6-track
demo)
Although currently known (I think, it seems to change regularly) as
Daniel Flay, the singer-songwriter's name, this EP under an old group
name is a beautiful introduction to his/their work. This is melancholic
acoustic indie, played with intelligence and imagination and sung with
passion and feeling. There's an interesting mix of styles but it all
hangs together well, with highlights being Kirsten Dunst (understated
violin, fragile harmonies, lyrics to die for and a four-second rock
out to close) and country swinger The Protagonist, which chugs along
in a frighteningly similar way to how the best Buffalo Tom songs used
to. Flay is a prestigious talent who cant be far from teetering over
the line into recognition, especially as he's now mixing with some other
rather talented individuals. www.myspace.com/danielflay
11. Marshals of the Vanguard (4-track demo)
I never trust anything that comes with a manifesto, especially a thinly
veiled fantasy one, but bonus points for extra effort. This is essentially
an experimental project by singer-songwriter Richard Rowland, slapping
electronica and effects over a few piano and guitar driven tunes with
varying degrees of success. I'm never convinced by anyone this young
(19, apparently, but at the rate I review he could be 25 by now) being
eccentric in a Beck kind of way, and there's a real feeling that this
isn't coming naturally - it's all a bit pretentious art student who
hasn't really lived, burnt, drunk and drugged their way to being this
odd yet. That said, it shows a hell of a lot of promise and is an interesting
listen, while the newer offerings on MySpace look to be going in some
more interesting, less forced directions. www.myspace.com/marshalsofthevanguard
12. Loman (3-track demo)
Professional, accomplished, intelligent - all words you can use to describe
Loman but that wont warm the cockles of your heart. This is all a bit
John Denver really. They make country music with nice, story-telling
lyrics, spot-on harmonies and all the right musical bits in all the
right places, but that's the problem. These tracks are all so by-numbers,
so unadventurous, so, well, dreary. That said, bands like this can make
millions selling CDs to middle-aged Americans, and good luck to them
- they're no better or worse than the any other pop Americana band you'll
hear on the radio. But give me Broken Family Band, or Mary Gauthier,
or anyone who sounds like they smoke, drink, fart and throw stuff around
any day. www.myspace.com/lomanlive
13. Wild Hope - Don't Take Me Home (5-track EP)
Folk rock is an easy genre to get wrong, and opener Don't Take Me Home
is an object lesson in what not to do. In Clara Kousah they have a talented
singer-songwriter but add electric guitars in a by-numbers fashion and
you take away from that, instead of adding to it, turning nice songs
into pub rock plodders. One Step Backwards is more interesting, the
bass-driven intro giving way to a ska-ish Police feel with a touch of
The Pretenders, while Still Life's stripped-down sound makes more of
Kousah's vocals until the predictable rock chorus steps in to spoil
things a bit. Highlights for me were the bonus live tracks, with some
nice slide sounds and thoughtful plucking over lovely, dreamy soundscapes,
and not a rock cliché in sight. Recorded, Wild Hope sound arranged,
not wild at all, but they have the ingredients to shine if they give
in to freedom and try and be themselves. Otherwise, mediocrity waits
I'm afraid. www.myspace.com/wildhopemusic
Chris Marling
Add this review to your favourites on our Message
Boards here
|