Cougar Microbes

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.

—–

Guest post by the indefatigable Dorian

—–

TRACKS:

So Many Dynamos – New Bones

Yo ‘WHY?’ I’m real happy for ya and I’ma let you finish….. BUT Tubelord’s ‘Our First American Friends’ is the best late contender for album of the year 2009.

Released on 12th October the Kingston (London) quartet’s offering showcases angular guitar hooks, vocals which meander effortlessly from harmony to cacophony, and a determination to keep song structures interesting and varied. Add a couple of recurring themes to the mix and you’ve got yourself a group who understand the craft of writing an album as opposed to a collection of songs.

Tubelord bravely draw on less fashionable post hardcore acts from the turn of the millennium. Think Piebald crossed with And None of Them Knew They Were Robots, with big The Get Up Kids style harmonies.

One slight criticism that I have is with the placement of tracks. The first half of the album flies past while the second half comes across as more contemplative in tone. While this in itself is a nice idea the effect is that the album does lose a little momentum on first listen. However, as the songs become more familiar this undoubtedly becomes less and less of a negative feature.

While ‘Our New American Friends’ may not quite make enough of a late surge to claim my highly coveted ‘album of the year’ gong it wins ‘top debut album of 2009’, hands down.

————

post by Kenny the mischievous

———–

TRACKS:

Tubelord – Propeller