Bastille - Good Grief

1.    Who are they? 

Bastille are a popular, and commercially successful, indie electro-pop band from London, England. They have been playing together since 2010 and both of their albums have been U.K. number ones and sold more than six million worldwide. Good Grief (June'16) was the lead single from their second album Wild World (Sept'16). 

2. What kind of tune are they peddling? 

Good Grief is sweet, catchy-as-fuck, pop with backing falsetto vocals, a jaunty beat, and juxtaposed with maudlin lyrics. Hard to hate.

3. Who do Bastille sound like? 

Imagine Dragons, Two Door Cinema Club and Depeche Mode. 

4. What have the press said about Good Grief? 

“Catchy enough” – A Bit Of Pop Music.

“Bubbly tune” – AXS.

“One of the hits of the year” – DIY.

5. Which bands have influenced Bastille?

The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Simon and Garfunkel and Bat For Lashes.


6. Why should I give Good Grief a listen? 

Because you like well-crafted pop songs, choruses with more than one hook, and obvious contrasts. 


7. What are Bastille's best songs?

Good Grief and Pompeii.  


8. Any more words?

The singer Dan Smith is a big Twin Peaks fan. 

“Caught off guard by your favorite song”

The Great Communicators are an indie post-rock band from Amsterdam, Netherlands. They have been making music since 2012 and sound like Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, The Bombay Bicycle Club and Autolux. They are influenced by bands like The Mars Volta, Broken Social Scene and Blood Red Shoes. From their debut album Lucky Horse (Sept'16) came two phenomenal minutes of indie; Old Car. The song is like the title; it might not be love at first sight but you'll become slowly endeared with it until you never want to part. 

La Sera - Queens

1.    Who are these slicksters?

La Sera are an indie pop duo from Los Angeles, California. They have released four albums. Queens (Sept’16) slides off their E.P. of the same name Queens (Sept’16).

2. What kind of song is Queens? 

Queens has an 80's post-punk sound and Katy Goodman and Todd Wisenbaker swapping vocal parts creates a magical juxtaposition of sound and mood. 

3. Who do Le Sera sound like?

Best Coast, Ezra Furman and The Bangles. Maybe. 

4. What is the word from the mutts in the press corps? 

“A breezy and upbeat rocker” – Consequence Of Sound.

“A propulsive guitar-rocker” – Stereogum.

“Holy shit – such a charming post-punk ride” – Punk News.

5. Which bands influenced La Sera? 

The main influences are The Smiths, Morrissey, The Pretenders, The Cars and 80's punk.

6. Why should I listen to Queens?

For the vocal swap between the high, sweet, 60's harmony and the earthy, post-punk, gravelly tones.

7. Do La Sera have any more good tunes? 

Please Be My Third Eye isn't too vile. 

8. Any more words?

Ryan Adams produced Le Sera's last album Music for Listening to Music to.

“It was a typical day I think you’d have to agree”

Pony The Pirate are an indie rock band from Norway that sprung to prominence in 2009 and released one album in 2010, Psychopedia. The song that propelled Pony The Pirate was Walk The Shame (2008). It's a rock pop song with a complex composition and a radio friendly chorus.

“You were my heart, you were my soul”

Kissing Is A Crime - Crown Royal

     

     1.    Who are they?

Kissing Is A Crime are a post-punk band from Brooklyn, New York. Started in 2012, Crown Royal is the lead single from their debut E.P. Your Secrets Are Safe With Me (Sept'16 Re-issue). 

2. Is the tune up to snuff?

    

           Yeah it is. A low-fi song that twinkles along charmingly, telling a story of young lust, and letting the melodies do the heavy lifting. 

     

     

     3. Who do Kissing Is A Crime sound like?

         The Chills, The Smiths, Interpol.

      4. What is the good word in the press about Crown Royal?

“Shimmers as it grooves along” – Stereogum. 

“Their emotive sound is irresistibly catchy” – Nylon. 

“A concise, head swaying piece of post-whatever” – Speakimge. 

       5. Which bands influenced Kissing Is A Crime? 

The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The Vaselines and The Violent Femmes are some of the bands that have had an influence on the band and Crown Royal in particular. 


6. Why should I give Crown Royal a whip past the ears? 

Crown Royal is fine songwriting writ large. It perfectly evokes the moment of all enveloping desire. 


7. Do Kissing Is A Crime have any more of these jewels? 

Your Secrets Are Safe With Me is fantastic. 


8. Any more words muppet? 

Not a dilly.

“I’d sell my soul for a taste of you”

The La’s were an indie rock band from Liverpool, England, that seemed destined for greatness. They played from 1987 to 1992 releasing only one studio album which garnered widespread critical acclaim. They reformed and re-released music a few times thereafter. There She Goes (1990) was the bands moment in the sun; charting in the English top 20 and included by NME as one of the top 50 indie anthems of all time. There She Goes is about love unattained and is a cherished song by many.

“And I just can’t contain,

This feelin’ that remains”

The Stone Roses - All For One

1.    Who are these legends? 

The Stone Roses are an indie psych rock band from Manchester, England. Started in 1983 and still going strong they have two long players on their immortal roll of honor. All For One (May'16) is the lead single from The Stone Rose's third album, Third Eye, due for release this year. All For One is the first new music from The Stone Roses in 21 years.

2. What have The Stone Roses got in the tank?

All For One comes on with a swinging riff and sounding more direct, like Oasis, and with the same anthemic sing-along pay off. All For One is an upbeat, snappy tune with Ian Brown's detached trademark vocals providing the trippy vibe of yore. A stellar comeback.

3. Who do The Stone Roses sound like? 

The Telegraph compared aspects of All For One to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and The White Stripes. The Stone Roses have generally been compared to Oasis, The Happy Mondays, The Charlatans, Primal Scream and The Smiths. 

4. What have the press said about All For One? 

"Has undoubtedly got anthem potential" - Manchester Evening News.

"Stone Roses circa the 90's, but with a revitalised spirit" - Consequence Of Sound.

"A starry-eyed psycedelic jangle with some old school blues-rock swagger to it" - Stereogum.

5. Which bands had a hand in The Stone Rose's magic sound? 

Some of the key Stone Rose's influences are The Smiths, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, T. Rex and The Clash.

6. Why should I give All For One a blast? 

All For One is a belter that brings something fresh and something nostalgic together for the old fans while introducing new fans to a pivotal band of the nineties without alienating their modern sensibilities. A classy balancing act has been achieved with All For One and it's 'we are all in this together' message continues in the fine Northern traditions of solidarity and is ripe for all ears.



7. What are The Stone Rose's classics? 

Fool's Gold is the band's most successful song, a modest top ten or twenty hit around the world, a tight dance masterpiece led my a drum masterclass and the only ten minute song worth listening to. She Bangs The Drums is an intense, euphoric banger with the best bass intro to an indie rock song ever. Made Of Stone is a melancholic sing-along that still charges at windmills, has a fiery John Squire lead break, and is the best song The Stone Roses ever made.

8. Any more words? 

All For One was produced by Paul Epworth who has worked for Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Primal Scream, Adele and U2 to name a few. 

In 2004 one hundred musicians and critics voted The Stone Rose's debut album The Stone Roses (1989) the best British album of all time in The Observer, ahead of The Beatle's Revolver, The Clash's London Calling and Van Morrison's Astral Weeks.

"Inside of me, for all to see

In harmony, all one family"

The La's are an indie jangle pop band from Liverpool, England. Formed in 1983 they periodically reform but have only one piece of gold in the vault, the debut self-titled album The La's (1990).  There She Goes (1990) was one of four singles from the album but is far and away The La's most popular song and a minor chart hit in the US and a top ten hit in the UK. Consequence Of Sound said There She Goes has "one of the most memorable opening riffs in pop rock" and is "one of rock's most memorable and poignant love songs." While The La's largely eluded the adulation heaped on their peers, nonetheless, There She Goes is emblematic of the revolutionary, effervescent, milieu that British indie music enjoyed in the early nineties. 

"And I just can't contain

This feelin' that remains"