Bored Of Looking Cool

Fairly straight-ahead British rock/pop with hints of the classics -- the Smiths, the Cure, etc, as name-dropped on the one sheet. Sound fits squarely in what the music rags have dubbed “post punk revival” (post-punk != post punk? wtf?).

Recording and vocal style reminds me of the Killers’ first record. Art Brut, sort of. At times they successfully ape Maximo Park. Tinges of near-nostalgic retro pop in here, and then there’s this inexplicable melancholic edge in their happy tunes that seems to be about... remembering being young. Not exactly a clean sound -- lots of unpolished guitar, wall-of-noise choruses, variably recorded vocals, not much track (as in 8) separation. They do pull off the guitar-heavy shoegaze rock thing a la Lush or Oasis, however.

try: 11 & 13 for pretty indie; 3, 4, 1 for brit rock
FCC: 5

*1. starts with spoken sample. fast guitar pop rock, earnest rushed vocals that lag the beat slightly. gets wall-of-guitar-ish in the chorus.
2. slightly disorienting beat. two-tone wavery guitar line. muddly chorus.
*3. crunchy cut chords. bright, rocky, fanfarey. slidy chorus. could be a well-behaved libertines. the last chord at :14 to end is it, fade whenever.
*4. happy upbeat highway pop. rudder bass. beamy electric/keys. simple but catchy. i think this song was featured on gossip girl. oh boy.
5. FCC “fucking” once. FCC be damned, this is my favourite song. booming groovy bass, posturing guitar riff, low rumbly vocals.
6. starts with solo country acoustic & outtake vocals. full sound at :28. doubled vocal/computer-effect guitar melody. happy, boppy, sort of silly. grainy recording.
7. computer noise chill out. old school harpsichord/synthesizer & electro percussion. slower, ebby, rushy.
8. strained, emocore. single-strum fader rhythm. melody bass. big noisy bridge.
9. cute bass/vocal melody & intermittent girl-whisper samples. soaring chorus vocals.
10. chilly descending guitar line a la pinback. minor, atmospheric. i wish the lyrics were better.
*11. unexpectedly affecting indie. slow gentle bellsy electric, mellow rimshot drums. at first the lyrics seem lame, and then they’re shattering.
12. starts with solo piano, but picks up. quick-change guitar chords in the chorus. noisy, gritty, fuzzy. sounds like the killers.
*13. pretty. slow, twangy guitar, jangly rhythm, delicate give-way piano, sad/sweet mellow vocals. builds. ends ~5 seconds to end.
14. deep drums & shrill one-chord guitar to start. crunch rock chorus. U2-style wall-of-rock verse.
15. upbeat dirty garage, surf guitar. threatens to go 12-bar, but never moves off one chord.