Ray Dar Vees only started out last summer and despite falling short of your standard four piece line-up their sound is bigger and more anthemic than you’d first expect. The youthful South London trio create melodic rock pop which attempts the same anticipation and build up that Arcade Fire are capable have shown over the years.
Debut single ‘Heart Attack‘, showcases the bands strong song writing skills as swirling tones are driven through with strong percussion to meet a very catchy chorus. More haunting than heartbroken there’s almost an Ian McCulloch quality to the vocal delivery. ‘One Day‘, another stand out track, cashes in on the formulaic pattern of a humble ambient start building to a wailing end. Some 80′s inspired guitar solos break up the track before you get lost in the reverb-echo vocals and wizardry production. In a nutshell, it is White Lies meets Coldplay; still dark and earthy but very pop accessible.
It’s an impressive start for the band and with such a comprehensive and full sound they are ripe for radio and set to infect airwaves.
Ray Dar Vees is out now on Pure Groove and Seven Sevens Recording
I just got back from a weekend in Paris covering Rock En Seine (full reviews and photos coming) where I saw a great performance by Kitty, Daisy & Lewis in front of an appreciative crowd if not slighlty bemused audience. The band are back on British soil now and are playing what is essentially a homecoming gig at Camden’s Proud Galleries on Wednesday 2nd of September.
Having also supported Coldplay on their huge North American tour it will be interesting to see how the North London siblings’ 50s tinged rock n roll will change in a smaller setting. Undoubtedly they will enjoy being able to see the audience’s faces again.
Support on the night is provided by a DJ set from Monsieur Rob Da Bank as well as Sunday Best protégées Lucky Elephant.
Last week’s ‘All Points West’ festival was an opportunity for a bunch of artists to wish MCA a quick recovery and celebrate the music of the Beastie Boys.
Jay-Z’s, who replaced the Beasties headline slot on Friday, covered ‘No Sleep To Brooklyn’. Not one to be outdone, Chris Martin offered a reworked piano led version of ‘Fight For Your Right‘.
Once again, get well soon MCA!
TRACK:
Coldplay – Fight For Your Right To Party (live @ All Points West)
Coldplay can’t seem to put a foot wrong at the moment, both in musical terms and ( crucially) in their promotional strategies. Just when you were beginning to think their trademark sound was destined to age on the hollow notes of ‘X&Y‘ they recruited Brian Eno to regain a little spark. His liberal borrowing of world music instrumentations and quasi-oriental time signatures undoubtedly rejuvenated the bands creativity and augmented their sound at a crucial time.
2 months ago the band gave away their live cd ‘LeftRightLeftRight‘ which was recorded during their last mastodontic tour. To date some 4 million people are said have downloaded it. Having already provided the fans with exclusive content during the promotion for ‘Viva La Vida‘ as well as free live shows hosted in Europe and The United States, here was more proof that these unlikely heroes have learnt to exploit the possibilities the web offers better than most.
‘LeftRightLeftRight‘ is a snapshot of where Coldplay are as a band right now. A place where stadium choruses as seen on ‘Viva La Vida‘ and huge instrumentals like ‘Death And All His Friends‘ sit comfortably next to old hits such as ‘Clocks‘ and ‘Fix You‘. The band are even able to squeeze in ‘Death Will Never Conquer‘, a country ballad sung by drummer Will Champion.
Its of little matter that Chris Martin‘s voice has never been note perfect or even that some preferred the timid and awkward frontman seen on early tours, Coldplay now sit comfortably with other legendary imperfect yet unifying bands that are worth seeing at least once in your life.
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This article written by Mario, long time Cougar Microbes advisor whose patience is always appreciated. Mitico!
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Ray Dar Vees only started out last summer and despite falling short of your standard four piece line-up their sound is bigger and more anthemic than you’d first expect. The youthful South London trio create melodic rock pop which attempts the same anticipation and build up that Arcade Fire are capable have shown over the years.
