RTS Presents: Jonc Stops Whining and Eats Crow

[jon_chaisson]

I'm eating crow because I've been sampling various bands that lunatunes and audiography are slobbering all over, and I find myself really liking some of it. No longer can I complain about being all "meh" about the latest crop of alt.rock, even if it is rather derivative (some cases, very 70s retro...see the YT embeds below)...

To wit:

"Roscoe" by Midlake

Watch on YouTube

I can't tell if they're trying to emulate pre-Rumours Fleetwood Mac or Red Octopus/Earth-era Jefferson Starship. And how geeky I am for knowing early Starship album titles, let alone what they sound like.


"Keep the Car Running" by The Arcade Fire

Watch on YouTube

(Sorry about the quality, but there's no official video for this) This is a band I didn't think I'd like but find myself really enjoying. This track is very reminiscent of early Echo & the Bunnymen.


The Fratellis, "Flathead"

Watch on YouTube

Not too many bands try to emulate early era Stranglers anymore, but these guys pull it off. Anyone who titles their album Costello Music and puts three pulpfic dames on the cover is alright by me. And I'm sure you've heard this on the iPod commercials...


The Academy Is..., "We've Got a Big Mess On Our Hands"

Watch on YouTube

This is more a preview thing than a video, but check out the tunage in the background. Not quite sure how to describe these guys...but I'm REALLY digging what I've heard of this album. Well worth checking out.

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On the other hand, the big whoop about the new LCD Soundsystem is just that...I'm not digging it at all. Very much like the wannabe NYC 70s punk revival (read: Strokes, et al.), and I'm kinda let down. Ah well...

On deck next to sample: Amy Winehouse, Back to Black

Comments

[wizardru.livejournal.com]

I'd say Midlake is definitely channeling Fleetwood Mac, there. The Arcade Fire has been one of those super-hyped 'it' bands that I've just never been able to warm to. I haven't found anything particularly good or bad about them...in fact they seem very average to me in most respects. This may just be because of the huge amount of hype (particularly towards the end of 2005) they've been the beneficiaries of, and when a band makes so many top 10 lists I expect to be 'wowed' a little...and I just wasn't. Of course, I was never impressed with Echo and the Bunnymen, either, so take that for what it's worth.

The Fratellis...nice, I like that. Reminds me that I need to pick up some Stranglers albums, for one thing. So somebody riffing on the sometime Chameleon-like sound of the Stranglers is good for me. Nice to see a video that's visually interesting, too...been a long time since I have.

That last snippet sounded pretty nice. I feel like they sound like SOMEONE, but I can't quite place it. Snow Patrol, a little? I dunno.