Tristesse

Who The Hell Am I?

My name is Dave. I have always been quite middle-of-the-road when it comes to music. I reckon it’s because I’m far too lazy to seek out obscure bands or bother to listen to the new bands that NME plasters all over its pages or my hipster friends recommend me. Being a hipster just seems a little bit too much effort for not much reward, which is why I am happy, no wait, I am PROUD to say that I generally listen to mainstream music. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not referring to that latest chart topper by One Erection or David Guetta – I have always been an indie rock kinda dude and I don’t have any intention of changing that; it’s just that the indie rock that I listen to is stuff that is usually (there are exceptions) quite well known.

I’d like for this journal to be a place where I can prattle on about the bands I like and maybe reintroduce you to a catchy song or two you may have forgotten about over the years. On a selfish note, I'd also like to develop my writing skills as they are pretty rusty at the moment, as you can probably tell.

A BAND YOU MAY REMEMBER

The Fratellis have sunk into obscurity in recent years, which saddens me greatly as Costello Music (above) is an excellent album. It’s full of punchy riffs, dirty basslines and some unbelievably catchy choruses, most notably the biggest hit, Chelsea Dagger (below).




While the lyrics are hardly poetry, it is hard for anyone to deny that it is insanely catchy. Overall, the album’s lyrics focus on our young indie heroes attempting to copulate with girls who, quite frankly, come across as a bit tarty (but then it is Glasgow).




Taking their name for the Italian word for ‘brothers’, the Glaswegian band went so far as to change their surname to Fratelli, making Jon Lawler, Barry Wallace and Gordon McRory into Jon Fratelli, Barry Fratelli and Mince (nope, me neither) Fratelli. I imagine it got rather awkward after they decided to break up in 2009 (living with a constant reminder of past success must have got to them as they reformed in 2012 to release and new album and tour the US).

Unfortunately, neither of the two albums they released since has been in the same league as Costello Music, and neither have enjoyed commercial success. It would seem there are only so many sing-a-long songs you can write before you peak and they aren’t going to gain popularity from their lyrics. Perhaps if they write some more of what they’re good at, we might hear of them again.

AND ONE YOU MIGHT NOT

I fall in love very easily, which meant I had no chance resisting the voice of the seductive Sunderland siren Lauren Laverne. Having first seen her presenting numerous TV programs here in the UK (the best of which being 10 O’Clock Live, the podcast of which can be found here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/...416532485?mt=2), it was a pleasant surprise to find that she originally started her career fronting late 90s indie pop-punk outfit Kenickie.


Like the Spice Girls if one of them left, another turned into a dude, and then they all took their heads out of their arses and had some fun, Kenickie mixed poppy riffs with playful lyrics, giving the impression that they were in a band for the fun of it rather than to try and make money. Although some lyrics are quite simply cringeworthy (“PVC, it’s my favourite plastic, PVC, cos it’s nice and shiny”) and a few songs don’t really have anything going for them, listening to Kenickie just makes me want to call up some old school friends and go run around for a bit.


Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if Kenickie are a bunch of yoofs playing out of tune guitars in their nans garage; the songs are good and the performances are impressive. It is refreshing to hear those bands once in a while that are good but also don’t take themselves too seriously. NME placed ‘Punka’ at no. 29 in their “100 Greatest Britpop Songs”, describing it as a song made up of “hook-laden sarcasm”. As much as I hate to agree with NME, I think they’ve summed both the song and the personality of the band up quite nicely.




No no no wait, before you judge, just give me a chance! The rise of Katy Perry to the forefront of the world’s commercial pop industry is an interesting one. Sticking her foot in the door with the controversial ‘I Kissed A Girl’ in 2008, she has a stream of hits since and quickly built up a devoted fanbase. Leaving her Christian rock roots behind and abandoning her birth name of Katy Hudson, Perry changed her songwriting style to appeal to the teen market, writing songs reminiscent of a slightly less angry Alanis Morissette - except, unlike Morisette, she comes across as extremely likeable. As with Kenickie, Perry gives the impression that she doesn’t take herself too seriously either. Whereas Lady Gaga presents us with extreme outfits meant to shock and draw attention to her, Perry wears outfits of a similar exuberance but without the showiness or the feeling that she is trying to be controversial just for the hell of it. I have a lot of respect for artists whose main reason for performing is that they enjoy it.


‘One Of The Boys’, her first album after reinventing herself, got mixed reviews from critics. A lot of criticism is over Perry’s attitude and the image she is trying to portray in the album. While I can understand that she might come across as a spoilt brat to some people, I view it more as playful and provocative rather than her being genuinely unpleasant. Although I will admit that the album is packed full of radio-friendly ‘safe’ songs and that there isn’t much experimentation or anything ‘new’ musically, I don’t really see a problem with that. Are we not allowed to have a neat fun little pop album once in a while without complaining because it doesn’t introduce any new ideas? Then again, as I said at the beginning, I have never really ‘got’ the whole hipster thing when it comes to musical taste. Give me a tune with a catchy chorus and a neat riff and that’s all I need. (Thanks for your time )

EDIT: I also love Hanson's 'MMMBop'.

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