> The Rubens.
The Rubens.
Ivy League Records.
Australian quartet the Rubens have drawn comparisons to
the Kings of Leon for their crushed-soul sound but the more
glaring influences are Black Keys and Coldplay, the former's
signature disintegrating guitar and vocal sound being most
obviously filched in Lay It Down and the latter's grandiose
gestures emulated on Be Gone. Falling somewhere in the
angst-pop ground that separates these two popular music giants,
the Rubens haven't got the songs to match it with the big boys.
Not yet anyway. They're big across the Ditch, though.
Single download: My Gun
For those who like: Coldplay, Kings of Leon
-Jeff Harford
> Walk the Moon.
Walk the Moon.
RCA.
The second album from Ohio power-poppers Walk the Moon
bulges with supremely polished pop nuggets, each seemingly
written with an array of TV opening credits in mind. Snappy
guitars and breezy harmonies are buttressed by peppy synth
flourishes as the likes of Tightrope and Shiver, Shiver scuttle
by amiably on their way to soaring, undeniable choruses.
Yet this is a band drowning in a sea of hormones ("My eyes
are on the road/ and my mind is on your body"), whose
hackneyed car/relationship metaphors ("won't you stay shotgun
till the day I die.") ultimately reveal a dearth of lyrical
inspiration.
Single download: Tightrope
For those who like: Weezer, Panic! At the Disco
-John Hayden
> Tame Impala.
Lonerism.
Modular Recordings.
In 2010, Tame Impala released its debut offering that may
well have arrived via a time capsule from the early '70s. Two
years later, the writing may have matured, but the clock has
been dialled back to the late '60s.
Firmly rooted in an analogue homage to the trippy sounds of
'67's summer of love, the Perth band reverentially paints a
dreamy kaleidoscope with tape manipulation, out-of-phase
vocals and plenty of moog wig-outs. Written primarily by
multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker in his home studio,
Lonerism is awash with Parker's lush Lennon-esque melodies,
but is supplanted with more experimental synth sounds.
Single download: Elephant
For those who like: Sid Barrett, Hawkwind, Electric
Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators
-Mark Orton
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