Any ideas on how to come up with a name for a band you have just formed? Well, these 4 guys from Springfield, Missouri do:
- The name should be long or,
- Include a famous name of a politician and if all else fails,
- Just name it after the title of your brother’s school essay.
Although having formed in 1999, SSLYBY only released their first album, Broom, in 2005. They subsequently signed with Polyvinyl and followed up with Pershing in 2008. In recent years as with most bands, the first album is always a sort of a bang, the second somewhat lukewarm, and the third, if they ever get that far, often has the backing of a well-known producer to up the band’s production values and help perfect the band’s distinct sound (if it has one, that is).
SSLYBY has headed in that said direction it seems – Let It Sway was produced by Death Cab for Cutie member/super producer Chris Walla and continues that tradition of catchy songs. Overall, the album has some great hooks that makes me glad to be walking around on a sunny day or happy to be cleaning the house? (see below) One big BUT here: I was looking for that missing punch from boys – bigger drums, bigger explosions into the choruses, added dynamic changes in some tracks perhaps?
This is no doubt a good album, but what is preventing it from being a great one are the epic/anthem-ic tracks that are missing, imho, of course. Maybe the big sound isn’t part of the band’s DNA; we shall see what they might do on their forth so don’t write them off just yet.
Listen to Sink/let it sway, My Terrible Personality, Back in the saddle and Critical Drain. These jangly, powerpop-driven little numbers alone make Let it Sway worth your time but as most music blogs and critics have pointed out, it is the sequencing of the songs that somehow stunts the momentum of the album. Maybe a little re-arranging on the itunes playlist is all it needs?
Perfect for: Cleaning the house to.
Links—>
Sink/Let it sway (Right-click “Save As”)
Norman
Raymond
Gerard
Francis
These are the names I d put on my tribute-cum-parody teeshirt to one of the world’s longest-surviving powerpop/alternative rock acts. Contrary to the name of the band, these guys are well into their 40s, and their sound has never deviated much from a mean. Honest lyrics of life and love , earnest Rickenbacker twangs for rifts and perfectly simplistic, hi-fi pop jems that appeal to a wide audience.
One of our favorite 1990’s pop bands, Teenage Fanclub, return to their roots with the release of their new album, Shadows. Teenage Fanclub broke through in Glasgow during the C86 (a collection of post punk music that was distributed underground on cassette tapes during the late 80’s and early 1990’s, mostly in the UK) craze, eventually transforming from a noisy and rough sound to a more cheerful, harmonic and melody lush pop, drawing comparisons with The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Neil Young and even Big Star.
-Spin Magazine’s 1991 reader’s poll for best album of the year went to Teenage Fanclub’s album, Bandwagonesque (a must-have 90’s indie record), beating out Nirvana’s legendary Nevermind, which is still one of the top-selling albums in rock history.
-Bandwagonesque also beat My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and REM’s worldwide smash LP, Out of Time.
-Teenage Fanclub were regularly name-checked by Kurt Cobain in interviews and described by him as “the best band in the world”
If these mean nothing to you, it’s time to do your music research dear friends. : )
some tracks to help you on your way:
Like a Virgin (madonna cover) (from The King)
Baby Lee (from Shadows)
myspace (listen to Sparky’s Dream please)
