Thursday, January 7, 2010
Quick Hitters:: Novels giving away an EP - literally
photo - Marshall Angus
The notion of labeling a group of musicians a "super group", especially when the members are in hard working but relatively unknown indie outfits, is kind of played out. Almost every musician enjoys playing music with their friends, so it makes sense that people start new projects in an effort to try out new sounds.
That being said, any time members of Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, Will Currie & The Country French, EX~PO and Jay Sad get together to bang out some songs, most fans will get a little excited about the possibilities. The band - Novels - consists Graham Wright of TPC, Luke Lalonde of Born Ruffians, Will Currie, Dean Marino of EX~PO and Jay Sad and their mission was simple. Share, finish, arrange and record 5 tracks in a single day and share them with the world.
While the results are fun and crisp (and I hesitate to dismiss anything born out of pure enjoyment and from such selfless beginnings), I'm not sure if the songs the band delivers ever reach the heights of the work we've heard from the original bands. Regardless of expectations, there are certainly moments in this 12-minute effort worth hearing. The opener - This Wouldn't Be The Last Time - saunters along with confidence and Big Run drifts into the jangly pop realm but still surfaces a familiar vocal delivery and some nice hand claps. Even the 50's piano pop the band offers up on Mr Foster's Teenage Daughter shows the band heading in an interesting direction; one that could be explored more successfully with less aggressive deadlines.
What makes this project special is that it was done for the simple pleasure of writing songs for people to hear. The EP will never be sold and the band hopes it will be shared with strangers. They are hoping you download the EP, listen, enjoy and return the favor by leaving a copy of the disc in a coffee shop, phone booth or tucked in an unsuspecting hipster's scarf.
The notion of labeling a group of musicians a "super group", especially when the members are in hard working but relatively unknown indie outfits, is kind of played out. Almost every musician enjoys playing music with their friends, so it makes sense that people start new projects in an effort to try out new sounds.
That being said, any time members of Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, Will Currie & The Country French, EX~PO and Jay Sad get together to bang out some songs, most fans will get a little excited about the possibilities. The band - Novels - consists Graham Wright of TPC, Luke Lalonde of Born Ruffians, Will Currie, Dean Marino of EX~PO and Jay Sad and their mission was simple. Share, finish, arrange and record 5 tracks in a single day and share them with the world.
While the results are fun and crisp (and I hesitate to dismiss anything born out of pure enjoyment and from such selfless beginnings), I'm not sure if the songs the band delivers ever reach the heights of the work we've heard from the original bands. Regardless of expectations, there are certainly moments in this 12-minute effort worth hearing. The opener - This Wouldn't Be The Last Time - saunters along with confidence and Big Run drifts into the jangly pop realm but still surfaces a familiar vocal delivery and some nice hand claps. Even the 50's piano pop the band offers up on Mr Foster's Teenage Daughter shows the band heading in an interesting direction; one that could be explored more successfully with less aggressive deadlines.
What makes this project special is that it was done for the simple pleasure of writing songs for people to hear. The EP will never be sold and the band hopes it will be shared with strangers. They are hoping you download the EP, listen, enjoy and return the favor by leaving a copy of the disc in a coffee shop, phone booth or tucked in an unsuspecting hipster's scarf.
NOVELS - Introduction & Pitch Session from Wade Vroom on Vimeo.
MP3:: Novels - This Wouldn't Be the Last Time
MP3:: Novels - Big Run
WEB:: http://www.okaynovels.com
D/L EP:: http://www.okaynovels.com/Novels.zip
Labels: Born Ruffians, EXPO, Music, Novels, Quick Hitters, Tokyo Police Club, Will Currie
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