April 2003
It's a Small World
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For the past year and a half, the better part of the music industry was focusing on New
York and Detroit due to the popularity of some bands that you are
probably so sick of hearing about we won't even bother bringing them up.
However,
the success of the Hives and Vines, along with the surprising (albeit deserving)
Grammy nominations for
Soundtrack of Our Lives and Clinic, clued some of the music industry
insiders into the fact that the US is not the be-all-and-end-all of underground rock. Many
of the most talked-about releases recently have been from bands beyond the 50 states.
The Datsuns of New Zealand have become a 4-man scissor-kicking army of 70's rock revivalists.
Hot Hot Heat's addictive and bouncy New Wave/punk has grown so popular outside their native
Canada that they had to schedule tourdates months earlier than previously planned. And
England's The Music are creating some of the best British dancefloor pop since the Stone Roses
and Primal Scream.
To prove our point, we've gathered a not-so-definitive list of the best
bands from parts of the world that you might not have yet explored.
And just to show you that the US is not entirely last year's news, we have included one of
the best
from the Isle of Manhattan.
In a time when the world is such a fucking mess,
it's good to know that at least we can all agree that quality music is something we
could really use right now. And fortunately, there is no shortage of it. | |
(Roger Sargent)
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Stop: The Libertines- London, England
Look: Tight leather jackets, ripped and gaffer taped jeans, army surplus coats
Listen: "Up the Bracket"- Hailed as England's first decent post-Strokes band, the
off-stage antics of these lads make the pages of NME as much as their chart success. But
what's wrong with a little sex and drugs when the rock 'n' roll is this good?
Snotty songs
like "What a Waster" and "Horrorshow" are indebted to late 70's English bands the Jam and
the Buzzcocks. Clash-man Mick Jones even came aboard to produce the album.
Website: TheLibertines.com
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Stop: The Raveonettes- Copenhagen, Denmark
Look: Sharp, clean, minimalist modern black and white
Listen: "Whip it On" EP-When recording this record, singer Sune Rose Wagner insisted that
every song be recorded in only one key and three chords.
But with such strict guidelines
comes a dark, noisy, and surprisingly camp debut.
Wagner has a fascination with
Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and it shows. His droning deadpan vocals,
when layed on top of Sharin Foos bass and some 60's surf guitar action, are the key factors
that make this record a
stand-out amongst the rest of the speedy three-chord wannabies.
Website:
TheRaveonettes.com
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(Soren Solkaer Starbird) |
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(Ruvan) Website:
Stellastarr.com |
Stop: Stellastarr*- New York, USA
Look: Black shirts, blacks trousers, black jackets...but don't call them goth.
Listen: "Somewhere Across Forever" EP- They may hail from the Big Apple, but these
kids insist they are a part of no downtown "scene".
Upbeat and adrenaline pumped New Wave is the order of the day here.
Urgent guitars along with great hooks (especially on the super-catchy
"No Weather") recall the best parts of 80's alt-rock and 90's indie.
Look for their first full-length later this year.
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