Continuing with my Germanic heritage, here's another Dutch band: the Gasoline Brothers.
They're a bit more spotty than the aforementioned Silence is Sexy and Pandora's Box, but still, they have two worthy albums out. The second, Tsk!, is very energetic new wave with some little country flourishes. Think the Futureheads meets Marshall Crenshaw. The first album, Hm!, is much more alt-country with a lot of experimentation of the kind that Wilco, or the Flaming Lips indulge in. However it's a much more laid back sound. Still some very strong songs, but this is very much a band deciding who they want to be when they grow up. When they decide, I hope they are as strong as songs like "Psychosomatic Heart Failure" and "Sleeping Pills and Asteroids" !
Also, they've got a great website, even with some games, so do click the link!
Showing posts with label dutch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dutch. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
You ain't mutch if you ain't Dutch
So, I’ve heard some new bands out of Holland, recently: The Very Sexuals and Silence is Sexy. Both are offering a full record for free, so do click the links.
The Very Sexuals have a kind of retro indie rock feel, along the same lines as the Wrens, The Comas and (a very little bit of) the Pixies with calming, nice male/female vocals. Clearly, it’s a side project from the joke-y titles (Sample: “Billy Idol Lookalike Contest”) to the studio quality, but it’s got that nice ‘swirly’ feel that I dig so much. Add a little jangle, and you've got an American band, so don't worry about it sounding "Foreign"
Silence is Sexy, on the other hand, is clearly a serious proposition. This is melodramatic, cinematic post-punk rock, like Radiohead’s pop moments, Coldplay, Muse et al. However, there’s a certain”indie” rawness that aligns them more, to me, with a band like North Carolina’s Cities. Named after the Einsturzende Neubauten album, you could be forgiven for expecting industrial/ Avante Garde abrasiveness. Instead, there’s more of an orchestral lushness (they even re-recorded some of their songs with The Cuban Royal Republican Orchestra) which means that they’ve got more in common with British pomp than German Klang und Drang.
But, again, you can hear for yourself, for free, and I’d suggest you give them a chance. Besides, Dutch accents are cool!
The Very Sexuals have a kind of retro indie rock feel, along the same lines as the Wrens, The Comas and (a very little bit of) the Pixies with calming, nice male/female vocals. Clearly, it’s a side project from the joke-y titles (Sample: “Billy Idol Lookalike Contest”) to the studio quality, but it’s got that nice ‘swirly’ feel that I dig so much. Add a little jangle, and you've got an American band, so don't worry about it sounding "Foreign"
Silence is Sexy, on the other hand, is clearly a serious proposition. This is melodramatic, cinematic post-punk rock, like Radiohead’s pop moments, Coldplay, Muse et al. However, there’s a certain”indie” rawness that aligns them more, to me, with a band like North Carolina’s Cities. Named after the Einsturzende Neubauten album, you could be forgiven for expecting industrial/ Avante Garde abrasiveness. Instead, there’s more of an orchestral lushness (they even re-recorded some of their songs with The Cuban Royal Republican Orchestra) which means that they’ve got more in common with British pomp than German Klang und Drang.
But, again, you can hear for yourself, for free, and I’d suggest you give them a chance. Besides, Dutch accents are cool!
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