The New Undertones
Maybe that's a bad wat to put it, "The New Undertones," but I've noticed very apparently that there are a tremendous number of bands over in the UK that have quite a few commonalities with the Undertones ...
(1) They're all really young ...
(2) They've all soon-to-be-strong-but-too-young-vocalists ...
(3) They've all this super poppy structure persuasion ...
... And I'm liking it a lot. I'm still waiting for one of these groups to blow my socks off, but I'm impressed by them all, nonetheless.
So here're a few. Enjoy.
Bombay Bicycle Club is a few 16 year-old kids from some place near London who've clearly a thing for straightforward guitar jangle pop that absolutely reminds me of ... Josef K? Yeah, but ... the Jam? Again ... sort of, but ...
Well, alls I can say is listen for yourself, and you'll find you're hooked. You don't know it now, but you are.
Maybe they'll be the next Arctic Monkeys or something ... they're certainly young enough, and they've played enough gigs and gained enough notoriety of sorts in that area, with that scene ...
Another group with an affinity for guitar pop is New Homes, who hail from Kent. The vocals are a bit loose and rubbery, but I like the ethereal, distant, almost aimless guitar and drumming which, to fill time, often times reverts to this sort of pitter-patter pattern, which is tres cool. Certainly worth checking out, too ...
Listen, I appreciate the importance of MySpace, but man do I wish some of these groups had real websites. Whatever ... when you're as good as the More Assured, it's permissible. The More Assured is a little moodier than the above two mentioned bands, and perhaps a little more talented, but definitely not less appealing and catchy than either. I dig the guitars in this group, too ... light, noodling stuff that edges on folksy stuff at points and wannabe arena rock at others. It flows perfectly, though, and the vocals are the sweetest cherry on top that I could ask for.
Again, absolutely worth checking out.
(As I related side note, I remember writing about the group when they'd only released a few things back in June, stating that they'd only get better with time. THey absolutely did.)
This is a long post, but bear with me ... I'm nearly done!
The Svengalis are the most punk of these four groups, but I would avoid calling them a punk band. Too much piano/synthesizer, too much harmonizing, too many crisp, clean hooks ...
But there's a rushed feeling to them which definitely makes me feel punk vibes flow through my ears. And if you read their story, you'll see how that whole punk aesthetic is really coming back in the UK. These kids are getting together for unselfish, completely natural and impulsive reasons, with the desire to make a statement and change something underneath it all.
But until they start reading the Little Red Book or something of that variety, they'll never live up to even a portion of the punk legacy.
Bombay Bicycle Club - How Are You (demo)
Bombay Bicycle Club - Magnet (demo)
the More Assured - An Empty Platform 954
the More Assured - You Do It Pretty Well
the More Assured - ASBO (demo)
the More Assured - Beat You Down (demo)
the Svengalis - Runaway
the Svengalis - Soda & Cigarettes
the Svengalis - Best Days