Every “the” band pays homage to a certain predecessor. The Raveonettes from Copenhagen are no different as they bask in the purple haze of The Velvet Underground. Once heralded as the next big thing by Rolling Stone, since then, the group has released two albums to critical acclaim but limited album sales. These records thus far have been constrained by the band’s requirement that they record entirely in the key of either b-minor or b-major. For their third LP Pretty in Black, those restrictions are gone. Instead, we find the band exploring new avenues ranging from incorporating techno beats into the assembled songs and embracing the pop sensibility that’s always been the backbone of their strongest songs. Indeed, they’re finally living up to their potential as the hottest stoner-pop band of the new millennium with adeptly penned lyrics about, what else, but sex and drugs. The first single, “Love in a Trashcan,” from their soon-to-be released new album is evidence that the guy-girl duo is at its musical zenith. The song itself is propelled by a incredible, hook-y guitar riff and lyrics revealing a penchant for gutter sex with a girl you might not really want to take home to mom. I wouldn’t have my rock ‘n roll any other way.
Other hot items from the homeland: Junior Senior, Aqua
By now, you’ve probably heard The Zutons’ debut single “Pressure Point” on that Levi’s jeans commercial where the dog tugs the pants off the girl, retrieving them for his owner. And while the surprisingly mesmerizing chorus of “pressure-pressure-pressure” is more than enough to recommend the group, the band is certainly not a one-hit wonder. The rest of their first LP charges along with the same intensity. The opening track “Zuton Fever” heralds the band as something akin to a friendly epidemic while “Remember Me” is a tender tumbleweeds-and-all ditty about estranged relationships. “Havana Gang Brawl” recounts a certain do-or-die adventure with a desperate chorus of “Where will you sleep tonight?” This group whose jangly blues influences tend to straddle into swamp rock territory (in Glasgow, Scotland, no less) infuses—no, hammers—into each track a catchy eccentricity and a contagious melody. They’re currently touring alongside R.E.M. and Keane while writing the follow-up to their critically-acclaimed debut Who Killed The Zutons? In concert, the five-piece band, including a blazing saxophonist, is even more adept at creating music and performs with an infectious vigor unmatched by many of their stiff indie rock counterparts.
Other hot items from the homeland: Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Idlewild, Arab Strap
It's time for the next vaguely British-sounding band to make a big splash. Except this time The Kaiser Chiefs are really from Leeds, England. Their LP Employment sounds like a lot of other bands right now but that’s okay, since that kind of thing’s currently in vogue. More precisely, the band sounds like Blur on a good day. The real test of a group is how many catchy hooks they can fit on an album, and the Chiefs do surprisingly well on this count. Whether riding a na-na-na chorus in “Na Na Na Na Naa” and “Everyday I Love You Less and Less” or a cowbell that won’t let up in “Modern Way,” the band proves that amid rapid-fire synth beats and seal-bark vocals they have a tendency for giddily perfect melodies and snarkily penned lyricisms. The group tends toward the tongue-in-cheek and the listenable, which is a good thing. In fact, The Kaiser Chiefs are sort of like Jet in that they manufacture more seemly, polished music than their already derivative predecessors, which predestines them for great success in their home country as well as across the pond.
Other hot items from the homeland: Bloc Party, Emma Bunton, Aqualung
Only a Norwegian like Erlend Oye, the lead singer of Kings of Convenience, could pull off a lyric like “Love comes like surprise ice on the water/ Love comes like surprise ice at dawn.” The two-piece band is one of the best-kept secrets in America as they've been perfecting a sound reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel—if not a bit more modern or post-modern—for three full-length albums now. All harmonies and heartbreak, the Kings’ music rests on delicate arrangements, sometimes bossa nova, sometimes just acoustic soul, of strings, horns, banjo lines, piano and hushed vocals. And this time around the group mixes in tropicalia (see “Know How”) and folk-informed techno (see “Love is No Big Truth”). While they prove to be experts at cultivating a decidedly cool Norwegian atmosphere, they also have a killer single in “I'd Rather Dance With You.” The group’s songwriting prowess is still evident on that song’s sunny lyrics (“I’ll make you laugh by acting like a guy who sings.”) and a high-pitched New Wave chorus. A perfect complement to a quiet fall day, in the shadow of the garage rock movement, it’s nice to see singer-songwriters still proving their mettle.
Other hot items from the homeland: Annie, Royskopp, Sondre Lerche
If you thought fellow countrymen Air functioned on pure melody, you haven’t heard Phoenix’s second full-length album Alphabetical. Parisian would be the word to describe the LP’s atmosphere, as frontman Thomas Mars and his band craft some of the most perfect pop songs on top of lazy guitar riffs, languid vocals and blithe rhythms. In fact, as the songs alternately loll and rollick, the band seems to be creating the perfect background music for a spectacular sun-scorched summer day, which indeed is the topic of one of their songs. The tracks themselves, while hopelessly melodic in their sensibility, are smartly cut by an undertone of melancholy—like all of the best pop songs. On the standout track “Everything Is Everything,” Mars muses, “Things are gonna change but not for better/ don’t know what it means to me/ but it’s hopeless, hopeless.” On the 30-second introduction staccato guitar strums ricochet the record into the upper echelons of MOR pop. And while the band’s sound may be too saccharine occasionally, the group trumps any American band in terms of pure melody. The band is currently on a nationwide tour with fellow European hot group Dogs Die in Hot Cars.
Other hot items from the homeland: Daft Punk, M83, Tahiti 80
For years, Sweden has been a breeding ground for some of the world’s most derivative music (see Aqua, A-Teens, The Hives, The Sounds). Today, one of the most innovative groups in music hails from Stockholm. On their debut Deep Cuts, brother-sister duo The Knife spins neo-disco gems rife with skittering synth beats and clever musical arrangements, incorporating a calypso sample, French horns, steel drums and English-slurring chipmunk-sounding vocals. A spectacular fusion of disparate yet synchronous influences, the group tends to craft one-of-a-kind vignettes about equally diverse things such as uncontrollable lust, a 1984-esque society or making lasagna. And while the band’s limited English causes the group to pen sometimes cryptic lyrics (“You make me like charity instead of paying off taxes”), there’s something irresistible about a group that actually makes the electro-pop genre exciting again. Coupled with the group’s videos replete with dancing animated skeletons, cartoon poetry, terrible fashion sense, and a transvestite performing at a convalescence home, The Knife is slashing musical stereotypes. When Karin Dreijer speak-sings the smoldering line, “I'm in love with your brother,” you know you’re listening to the next Madonna and the next big band to go global.
Other hot items from the homeland: The Caesars, The Legends, Soilwork
On his latest album, Rammstein decided to branch out into uncharted territory and release a more warm and fuzzy record than they had in the past. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Throughout Reise, Reise, Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann purrs his “r”s as he spouts angry things in German with his basso profundo vocals. The appeal of his blowout single “Du Hast” (“You Hate”) must’ve been that it epitomized everything bad that Americans thought of Germany. On this new album, the band continues in that vein. The first single, “Amerika;” which contains the chorus of “We're all living in America” and name-checks Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola, Santa Claus and Wonderbra; ends with the declaration: “This is not a love song.” The next song entitled, “Moscow,” is preceded by the statement “This song is about the most wonderful city in the world.” Whether or not any of this makes more sense when listened to in German, Rammstein’s appeal is that with the band’s prog-rock guitar riffs, Teutonic choruses and utterly serious tone, the band’s music is pure kitsch. And while Rammstein endeavors to change things up with the addition of harmonica and electronic beats to some songs, the group is stuck in a holding pattern march. And that’s wunderbar.
Other hot items from the homeland: Krystal K, Sarah Connor
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