PUP - DVP

1.   Who are these legends?

PUP are a punk band from Toronto, Canada. These heroes have been burning up the music scene since 2013 and have one long player the self titled PUP (2014). DVP comes rocking of the short player The Dream Is Over (Jan'16).

2. What kind of tune have PUP served up?

Don't read too much into the ‘punk’ description.  It starts out all fire and brimstone and shouted verse but the chorus is all melody and ‘ohhh ohhhs.’
A story telling song about getting drunk and the emotional fall out, you can hear the lyrics despite the speeding down the highway chased by the police speed of the drums and guitars.

3. Who do these PUP punks sound like?

Cloud Nothings, Metz, Not Scientists and Dirty Nil.

4. What have the press got to say about DVP?

“Mile-a-minute ramshackle punk stumbles into a killer harmony, all bolstered by emotionally bare lyrics” – Stereogum.

“Throttles forward at a breakneck pace, at least three choruses crashing together in a glorious pile-up” – Pitchfork.

“PUP list off their messy failings over a rip-roaring melody” – Consequence Of Sound.

5. Who put the gas in PUP’s drive?

Built To Spill, The Bronx and Queens Of The Stone Age are the bands main influences.

6. So why should I give this banger a listen?

DVP is a screamer of a punk tune but it luxuriates in melody while laying bare the feelings of late night drunk heroics and morning after blues.

PUP have been big-upped by Noisey Vice, their debut album “is a perfect ten,” and sounds like, “If Weezer made a punk album somewhere between the Blue Album and Pinkerton.”

7. Do these Canadian heroes have any more bangers?

Oh yes, they do. Guilt Trip is the most popular and has the Weezer vibe.

8. Have you got any more pearls of wisedom to drop about PUP?

All four members went to elementary school together and have been friends ever since.

PUP have been on fluffer duties for The Hives, The Smith Street Band and Modern Baseball.

PUP do a cover of the Jay Reatard song My Shadow and a stonking version of The Buzzcocks Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have).

“Your sister thinks that I'm a freak,
She's been ignoring my calls, we haven't spoken in a week,
I get so drunk that I can't speak”

Slippery seconds is served courtesy of The Smith Street Band. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia and with three long players under their belt this punk band have been rocking socks off since 2010. Don't Fuck With Our Dreams is a jumping little folk punk number in great story telling tradition. It's pure fucking genius.

“Walked the flat city streets looking for a sign of a past you
And knee deep in alcohol and borrowed souls”

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Galaxie

 

 

Galaxie Robot Lynx (Jan’15) is a spaced out glam rock stomp. Big synth and airy layered vocals in the chorus gives this rocket wings but the verses are pure shit kicking grime. Robot Lynx has  an honest to god lead break too. It is heaven as space battalions prepare for the last ditch offensive in an all out war for intergalactic domination.

It’s French so I don’t know what the songs about. Just try it out for fucks sake. It’s brilliant and no fuckin doubt one of the best indie songs of 2015.

 

Galaxie are a French Canadian indie garage rock band from Montreal. They have been hard marching since 2002. Robot Lynx is the lead single off their fourth album Zulu (Feb'15).

Shit you need to know:

Galaxie were known as Galaxie 500 from 2002 -2010 before shortening the moniker because of confusion with the American band.

This concert review says the new album Zulu mixes mix African rhythms with hard rock. Sounds good to me. Anyway they gave the gig four and a half stars out of five.

The lead singer slash songwriter said for the last album he, “...listened to a lot of T. Rex and Bo Diddley”.

About the bands last album this reviewer said it’s, “...rough-edged (hard-hitting riffs) with a soothing presence (discotheque bass and semi-psychedelic vocals)...perfect balance of pace and lightness that gives “Tigre Et Diesel” its regal, electronic, intergalactic presence.

Galaxie played support for Alvvays this year.

Dragon is another Galaxie cracker, Interstice  bangs as hard as a Bangkok hooker and Piste 1 is the shit too.

The  double dip is as random as Donald Trumps hair. It’s a beautiful song from London alternative pop singer Layla. This is her sweet masterpiece Oh My Love (2013).

Hit the two twenty mark for the all in if you have no patience.

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2014 - Bahamas

Bahamas is blues, roots, folk, soul or something like that. But on Stronger Than That (July’14) there is an all-in indie chorus and piano like on Lean On Me. So actually it’s like quite like an indie track.

Stronger Than That is a laid back chilling track that minds me of Ben Harper. The chorus is where it’s at and there’s some pretty tight guitar playing too.

Bahamas is Afie Jurvanen a great guitar player and songwriter from Toronto, Canada. He’s been lamenting his lot since least 2009.

Stronger Than That  is the second plaint from the long player Bahamas Is Afie (Aug’14). Afie has mad admiration for Willie Nelson, Van Morrison and Neil Young. Fucking weirdo.

Well if you dig lo-fi whinging and great song writing then ya could do worse than give All The Time and Lost In Light a fair shake of the stick.

Tickety-boo. Now for the follow-up let’s go with some Ben Harper and Steal My Kisses (1999).