Cougar Microbes are marching in like army ants…

With the sun briefly proving that it can exist over London’s sky before disappearing behind persistent clouds I thought maybe it was time to give our favourite star a bit of encouragement.

Sunbears! are the right band for this difficult mission mixing the flair for catchy synth hooks of Mates Of State’(whom the band have toured with) Death Cab For Cutie’s emotional punch and The Polyphonic Spree’s psychedelic and dramatic tendencies.

The above description should be enough to convince fans of this blog to at least give the Floridian duo a chance. Who knows, if we all listen to them together, the sun might appear again.

TRACKS

Sunbears! – I’m Alive

An old Chevy van has its windows smashed. Shattered glass litters the pavement, reflecting the yellow sodium streetlight above. The thieves quickly vanish into the darkened alleys with their loot.

Following the robbery outside a concert venue in Seattle, the band So Many Dynamos were left without any guitars and seemingly unable to make the scheduled performance that night, let alone continue their ambitious nation-wide tour.

This was not the end, but the start of what was to become the ‘Loud Wars’ album. To the rescue came Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla, who lent them the equipment, and a few years later collaborated on the album, specifically the track ‘New Bones’.

The song has a similar style to The Postal Service, with clear vocal melody, and a strong overlay of electronic sound effects to the quasi-dance beat. The choruses take you on a merry-go-round and then return to the angular and rhythmic verses. It almost sounds like a remix, with its gunshot snare, keyboard bass lines, and beeping in parts.

Perhaps the instrumental is a little over the top in places, taking center stage to the singing at times, but this is a song that shows off both song writing and studio creativity. The prowess lies in combining both elements, and they have done it to a T.

Formed in Edwardsville, Illinois in 2002, the band named themselves after a famous palindrome (look that one up), and have been branded a mixed bag of  dance-punk, math rock, and indie-pop.

So Many Dynamos set out on a mini European tour in February taking in some UK dates as well as performances in Norway, Belgium, Holland, Germany and France. Catch them live and make up your own mind.

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Guest post by the indefatigable Dorian

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TRACKS:

So Many Dynamos – New Bones

Happy new year everyone! Here is to another decade filled with amazing music.

TRACK:

Death Cab For Cutie – The New Year

Despite not releasing a proper album throughout 2008 Jay-Z kept himself in the limelight through some carefully selected appearances.  Be it the leak of the Kanye produced ‘Jocking Jay-Z‘, his appearance on Coldplay‘s Prospekt’s March EP or the legendary Noel Gallagher baiting Glasto performance the man proved he was all about quality over quantity. His Blueprint III release is eagerly awaited in 2009:

‘”That bloke from Oasis said I couldn’t play guitar,  Somebody shoulda told him I’m a fucking rockstar”

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Back in July I reviewed Death Cab For Cutie’s live show at Camden’s Koko remarking that tracks from their new album Narrow Stairs “blended in effortlessly with their back catalogue and sound like classics in the making”. I have since listened to the entire album on repeat and still stand by that statement. After all the band could have been forgiven for rehashing Transatlanticism in an effort to repeat their known success. Instead they experimented with their sound juxtaposing sunny arrangements with dark lyrics and vast atmospherics in what has been nothing but an organic evolution. In the midst of all that Ben Gibbard’s unique wordings provide a familiar buoy to latch onto when everything around turns stormy

On July 24th Death Cab for Cutie got ready to play their second low key gig in Camden this summer. Having missed their previous May appearance at The Electric Ballroom I was determined to catch them this time. The fact that I had spent many nights in this North London venue when it still went by the legendary Camden Palace name just added to my intrigue.

First of, what the hell have they done in there?! I had not visited since the 2004 shutting down and subsequent redevelopment of the venue and my immediate reaction was revulsion. Though the area would benefit from more up market alternatives to some of the local hangouts the direction they went with is simply vulgar. The Clash played here for fuck sake, what would they have made of the ridiculous amount of red liberally splashed all around or the Death Star Canteen wannabe bar. Simply put, the place has been reduced to looking like a substandard whore house. Rant over.

Death Cab hit the stage to a rowdy reception from the sold out 1500 capacity crowd. Despite the fact a small number of punters seemingly attended solely due to the sponsor for the night they were easily drowned out by the hardcore contingent cheering on every song. Ben Gibbard and his troops could relax now knowing most of the people in attendance would sing back every lyric, know every drum beat and recreate every guitar sound.

Having already seen Death Cab live I knew they had a habit for delivering scintillating live performances and, despite a less than perfect sound at the venue and a few technical difficulties, tonight was no difference. As usual the indie rock legends ticked all the right boxes playing with high enthusiasm, not missing a note and delivering breathtaking renditions of the fan favourites. What impressed the most was that tracks such as ‘Cath…’, ‘No Sunrise’ and the haunting ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ from the new release Narrow Stairs blend in effortlessly with their back catalogue and sound like classics in the making. By the time the band performed their closer ‘Transatlanticism’ they had every person in attendance’s concentration.

Here is a video I shot from the upper balcony of the stunning ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’.

I add the amazing tracks ‘Bixby Canyon Bridge’ and ‘Cath…’ from the new album as well as two of my all time favourite tracks from the previous releases ‘Soul Meets Body’ and ‘The New Year’, now if they could just avoid Koko!