Duels – The Barbarians Move In (2008)
You can download the album from the Band’s official site here.
The British Indie scene is just about starting to recover nowadays, but between 2005 and 2008 the frantic search for new content led to scores of Indie bands being thrust into the spotlight on the strength of a single and then finding their evolution as a band unnaturally shortened. Bands would be picked up, labeled the next big thing, and then expected to deal with massive press attention whilst attempting to create a debut album when they would probably have been better served remaining obscure for a few years. Duels found themselves in a similar situation in 2006, their debut album achieving acclaim but the band themselves proving to be commercial disappointments due to a lack of an established fanbase and a less than honed live sound. They were a band with ideas and potential talent, but they’d been plucked from obscurity far too early and soon they found themselves ditched by their label.
Duels were then picked up by the newly formed This Is Fake DIY record label and over the course of 16 months redefined and refined their sound. The Barbarians Move In was the result of this redefinition, an aggressive, growling, folk tinged, rock album. From their beginnings as an indie band ‘with potential’ they created an album that bristled with energy and sounded, at first, a million miles away from the synth pop 80s nostalgia currently dominating the indie scene. But The Barbarians Move In had its foot in the 80s, but instead of paying homage to synth pop they chose to become almost post punk in their stylization. With their brooding lyrics, firing line style drumwork, and occasional dips into feedback led moments of frentic energy the band feels like an amalgamation of the Bad Seeds and My Bloody Valentine and even at times The Cult. But whilst it’s hard to shake the links to the past the album has enough vitality, and spark and character to feel like its own beast and songs like The Furies work with the kind of atmosphere you usually only get in the best Nick Cave records.
If you like this album check out Primary Colours by The Horrors or Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen.
The National Lights – The Dead Will Walk, Dear (2007)
You can hear the album via LaLa here.
This album is a dangerous proposition for a list like this, it’s stylised, and light and potentially forgettable. It’s also potentially laughable, it’s attempts at American Gothic potentially being hilarious rather than having the proper effect. But if you let the album get its hooks into you it’s an amazing, amazing experience. At a paltry 27 minutes long it’s hardly the grandest of albums but the band aims for storytelling over scope, each song a minute ballad to the depravity of man. These are songs about murder, about violence, about destruction and deceit and their backed by the kind of pleasant accompianment that almost makes the subject matter palatable. In songs like Swimming In The Swamp the twanging bluegrass and church like organs almost battles with the sweet intonation of murderous lyrics.
Released mid may 2007 The Dead Will Walk, Dear remains the only work by the group. Their official site suggesting that the band is either defunct or on hiatus which is a shame because as a fledgeling effort The Dead Will Walk, Dear is a major accomplishment. It’s an album I still find utterly haunting even two years after first discovering it.
If you like this you should check out My Friends All Died In A Plane Crash by Cocoon or Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel by Atlas Sound
You can download the album from the Band’s official site here.
The British Indie scene is just about starting to recover nowadays, but between 2005 and 2008 the frantic search for new content led to scores of Indie bands being thrust into the spotlight on the strength of a single and then finding their evolution as a band unnaturally shortened. Bands would be picked up, labeled the next big thing, and then expected to deal with massive press attention whilst attempting to create a debut album when they would probably have been better served remaining obscure for a few years. Duels found themselves in a similar situation in 2006, their debut album achieving acclaim but the band themselves proving to be commercial disappointments due to a lack of an established fanbase and a less than honed live sound. They were a band with ideas and potential talent, but they’d been plucked from obscurity far too early and soon they found themselves ditched by their label.
Duels were then picked up by the newly formed This Is Fake DIY record label and over the course of 16 months redefined and refined their sound. The Barbarians Move In was the result of this redefinition, an aggressive, growling, folk tinged, rock album. From their beginnings as an indie band ‘with potential’ they created an album that bristled with energy and sounded, at first, a million miles away from the synth pop 80s nostalgia currently dominating the indie scene. But The Barbarians Move In had its foot in the 80s, but instead of paying homage to synth pop they chose to become almost post punk in their stylization. With their brooding lyrics, firing line style drumwork, and occasional dips into feedback led moments of frentic energy the band feels like an amalgamation of the Bad Seeds and My Bloody Valentine and even at times The Cult. But whilst it’s hard to shake the links to the past the album has enough vitality, and spark and character to feel like its own beast and songs like The Furies work with the kind of atmosphere you usually only get in the best Nick Cave records.
If you like this album check out Primary Colours by The Horrors or Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen.
The National Lights – The Dead Will Walk, Dear (2007)
You can hear the album via LaLa here.
This album is a dangerous proposition for a list like this, it’s stylised, and light and potentially forgettable. It’s also potentially laughable, it’s attempts at American Gothic potentially being hilarious rather than having the proper effect. But if you let the album get its hooks into you it’s an amazing, amazing experience. At a paltry 27 minutes long it’s hardly the grandest of albums but the band aims for storytelling over scope, each song a minute ballad to the depravity of man. These are songs about murder, about violence, about destruction and deceit and their backed by the kind of pleasant accompianment that almost makes the subject matter palatable. In songs like Swimming In The Swamp the twanging bluegrass and church like organs almost battles with the sweet intonation of murderous lyrics.
Released mid may 2007 The Dead Will Walk, Dear remains the only work by the group. Their official site suggesting that the band is either defunct or on hiatus which is a shame because as a fledgeling effort The Dead Will Walk, Dear is a major accomplishment. It’s an album I still find utterly haunting even two years after first discovering it.
If you like this you should check out My Friends All Died In A Plane Crash by Cocoon or Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel by Atlas Sound
