Fearless Vampire Killer
Anna C waves the garlic...
FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS- Exposition: The Five Before The
Flames
Apparently 'The Five Before The Flames' is not an E.P or a mini album;
it's an exposition. Let's see: definition of an exposition= 'Noun;
1. A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory;
2. The part of a movement, esp. in sonata form, in which the principal
themes are first presented'. Definition of an E.P= 'an extended-play
single, one of the formats in which music is sold, usually compromising
four or five tracks'. So it's an E.P then. Now we've got the pretentious
stuff out of the way oh, wait. Maybe not. Because Fearless Vampire
Killers are a theatrical alternative rock band after all. And so,
from this E.P., we could define this as 'a boy-band that sounds a
bit like McFly on one track but wear lots more mascara'. A boy band
that probably don't sleep in their eyeliner (or in coffins) but, in
reality, spend a fortune on make-up remover and cotton wool pads so
as not to clog up their pores and have real names are Lawrence and
Luke. Not really very rock and roll.
Still, to give the quintet their dues, this is much better than I
was anticipating, having seen a picture of them first. They look like
right tits. But, fortunately, their sound is significantly more mature
than their silly outfits and posturing would have you believe, much
more solid than the stupid blurb about 'Exposition ' being a
prequel to their debut album 'Militia of the lost'. Not that I'm against
personas and clever alter-egos but it has been done in more creative
and original ways. Because I don't want to know about a world called
Grandomina, where dastardly deeds play out against ink-black skylines,
the twisted world that is home to five anti-heroes who fight against
oppression from the dark, un-dead cardinal. To quote the girl from
the Maccy D's ad 'What does that even meannnnnn?' I'm not twelve.
Apparently the story culminated in the royal palace being set ablaze
with five outcasts on the run. No, I don't want any of that dross-
just boys with guitars. And hair. Decent songs would help too.
Anyway, all manner of absolute bollocks aside, FVK write oft-dramatic
rock arrangements, with a massive guitar riffage that will have emo-kids
everywhere scraping their hair forwards into their blackened eyes
and adopting pseudo-sullen expressions that mean that they don't notice
too much when track three kicks in sounding a bit like Midget circa
1996 (whoever remembers them will realise this is not a compliment).
While the band cite influences such as Green Day, Weezer, Iron Maiden
and The Kinks, 'Exposition ' has lots of shouting and screaming,
epic and uplifting anthems and a bit more grunting towards the end
so are more suited to fans of My Chemical Romance and other acts that
incite young girls to wear stripey tights on their arms. And, for
the folks amongst us that would bleed instantly from the nose if listening
to any such thing, they sound like Jackdaw 4 for their harmonies and
melody but with less clever lyricry. If you fancy a bit of that, just
be prepared to feel extremely old if you go and watch them live.
Mouse are a band from North London. There are three of them. Their
saving grace is that they sound like they love what they're doing,
fully embracing and ignoring the fact that, musically, they are pretty
crap. By their own admission, Mouse like writing short punky bursts
of energy with an underlying sense of humour. And, true enough, this
is what they do. It's just that everyone's sense of humour is different.
They have a shambolic DIY sound but not in a particularly likeable
way. They remind me of The Vichy Government because they write songs
about having bombs in your fridge behind the cheddar. And songs where
the word 'bankers' rhymes with 'wankers' and they say 'ho ho ho' and
'ha ha ha' a lot. It's well renowned how I felt about things like
that. Things like that make me angry. They certainly didn't write
this for me.
Mouse also pride themselves on a Chinese twang, best
demonstrated on track 'Warping', though it could just be gibberish.
That said, the CD does actually get more listenable as it progresses.
I like 'Moon room' because it is fun and 'Roll up' because it has
a kazoo and an attempt at harmonies. I also like that Mouse tackle
some sensitive subjects- politics, the recession, being on drugs for
the first time. And the fact that '1/2 wig' is mercifully short at
about ten minutes long. Which is probably its most redeeming feature.
Ultraista are alternative and electronically-based. Everyone is kissing
their collective arse from Q Magazine to the NME, Rolling Stone to
The Guardian, mainly because one of their three founding members is
Radiohead's producer, Nigel Godrich, and another is producer/drummer,
Joey Waronker (great name) who played for Thom Yorke. And then there's
the glamorous, blonde frontwoman, Laura Bettinson, who sings and makes
the whole lot sound a bit like St Etienne or Suzanne Vega (particularly
on 'Tom's Diner'). The project has that sort of feel actually and,
though their names probably do precede them, they are still good in
their own right; a defiant edginess but with a classic and familiar
sound. On this, the band's latest single, (released through their
own label: I am Fortified), Ultraista combine the synth sounds and
great use of rhythm you might expect a group like theirs to have.
'Stop with the small talk, won't you?' Bettinson drawls nonchalantly
over some enticing beats and, although we've heard it all before,
it doesn't stop us wanting to hear more. Which you can if a) you buy
their self-titled and critically acclaimed debut album (out now) or
wait until they release their remix album around June time or see
them even sooner when they support Flying Lotus in May.
St Evel are a punk three-piece from Croydon. In their promo pic, they
look a bit like The Wildhearts. They wear stripy red and black jumpers
like Ginger used to back in the day. They don't particularly sound
like The Wildhearts though. The Wildhearts are one of my favourite
bands. They have, in my opinion, written some of the best songs in
Brit Rock history and are one of the more entertaining live acts you
will be lucky to see too. Sadly, St Evel might count them as an influence
but they would be lucky to consider them a comparison.
But it's not all bad. St Evel are what they are and that's grand,
as long as you are expecting three men playing rock and roll that,
although not offering any surprises, fits nicely into the current
punk gigging scene, alongside local Cambridge bands like Beverly Kills
and The Stand-Ins. With a solid and classic sound, the energy that
comes as standard with this sort of music and demonstrating a clear
love of The Buzzcocks and The Ramones, 'Ballads from The Cronx' won't
leave you amazed by what can be done with a few chords and some sloppy
vocals but it will get your respect for what it adds to the genre
it champions. 'She said' sounds a bit like The Vaselines, '8818' continues
the theme of good and heavy riffs and 'An interlude' allows the guitarist
to widdle in the only song that does not feature vocals that follow
the guitar melody. Which means, like all good acts they idolise, St
Evel have a self-belief and know the basic chords to guarantee a good
night out when they play a pub near you (or at least their local)
some time rather soon.