Poppy, jazz-tinged tunes are the order of the day with the Steve Bland Assembly. Namesake track on this self-released EP has a decidedly Jamie Cullum vibe to it, although this is far less smug and all together closer to Ben Folds than anything else. Piano drives the song as Bland muses on the modern day eutopia that is Luxemburg – a world full of rainbows, where John Peel and Bob Dylan are both still ‘alive’ and where we don’t need rock and roll because everyone is strong. A lovely melodic catchy pop song which must be filed alongside the pop-trendies Jack Penate and Kate Nash, although this has a lot more soul and substance to it. Expect label interest and appearances in Q magazine sometime soon.
MySpace Site
White Light Parade - 'Wait for the Weekend' (Split Records, 2008)
Released on February 4th, this is the debut single from Bradford based duo, White Light Parade. As I received this promo through the post, I saw the title of the record and assumed that we were in for another Hard-Fi/Kasier Chiefs/the Twang clone band, singing about “Chav Britain”. However, upon closer this single reveals a lot more.
Virgin Radio and XFM Manchester have shown interest in this band, and it is easy to see why – stomping guitars, heavy bass and pounding drums reminiscent of the Doves makes this easily accessible. However, where this single differs from the aforementioned “Chav Bands’ is in its shoe-gazing quality and melodic vocals. This is a lot less brash, more subtle, and ultimately a more musically intelligent take on going out and getting trashed at the weekend. And about time too.
MySpace Site | Official Site | Split Records
1984 – Cache Cache (Weekender Records, 2008)
Released in March, this debut from France’s 1984 seems to take stock from Franz Ferdinand and Joy Division. Hypnotic vocals and guitar riffs intermingle around a menacing beat. In fact, it’s probably the last thing you’d expect from France’s oh so small indie-rock scene. It’s stomping, repetitive and hypnotic and I can easily imagine this going down a storm live. If you’re a fan of Editors, or more realistically Rockbeatstone readers, Joy Division, then this may be the mixing of Eric Cantona’s Gallic flair to British miserablism. And in case you’re wondering, ‘Cache Cache’ is a French for a kids game called Hide and Seek.
The band from Strasbourg, France are touring the UK in February, check their Myspace for more details.
MySpace Site | Weekender Records