"Clash Magazine: Tips for 2011. Tall Ships aren't your average rock band"
If you're into the Foals mathy, staccato catchiness, Battles repetitive weirdness, Biffy's epic start to Living Is A Problem, shanty harmonies... Well the list could go on. Tall Ships are an amalgamation of everything that is good and right and wholesome about music.
Take their back catalogue. You don't even need to hear it all - two tracks and you can cover a myriad of styles, tempos and atmospheres. From the top. Vessels. You could be forgiven for thinking that you hear more than one song here. A slow, heartfelt beginning with impeccable harmonies and then... Pounding drums and we're into Foals territory. You'll notice the Foals comparison surfaces often with this band and that's because it is simply unavoidable. That's not to say they're lacking in originality - the band is awash with imagination and new ideas.
The track Books then comes as a shock and a surprise when it knocks you back with synths. Not just your casual indie synths - we're talking like, Ibiza, dance music synths. Shocking, I know, but they've made it come together so well. Moments later it's laid back wailings about time - and presumably how there isn't enough of it to fit all these genres into each track.
But we've really come here for is their next single Hit The Floor. I'm sorry, but this is where those Foals comparisons are really going to be thoroughly applied. This could have come straight off of Antidote, if they had enlisted Julian Casablancas as vocalist. And that's not a bad thing - they've added their own stamp onto the genre setting themselves apart.
The track is a three minute frenzy, and was recently featured by Q magazine as their record of the month. It's punchy, a bit mad and each simple layer builds on the last, making it an obvious hit for the indie fans who love to dance. As for the live show, rumour has it it's a audio and visual delight. You can decide this for yourself as the band are currently on tour supporting Three Trapped Tigers (tour dates below).
The single can be found on iTunes now. Or if you prefer to hold something lovely and hand numbered go here to pre order the physical release that will be out on 13th June. There are only 300 copies of the vinyl, and only 100 of these will be available online, so no hesitation! And then we can all sit back and wait patiently for an album.
See them on tour:
1st June - Exeter, Lemon Grove (with We Are Scientists)
13th June - Middlesbrough, Empire (with WAS)
14th June - Leamington Spa, Assembly (with WAS)
15th June - London, Koko (with WAS)
16th June - Kingston, Banquet instore (6pm) and New Slang (11pm)
17th June - Brighton, Concorde 2 (with WAS)
1st July - Bournemouth, Six Million Postcards
9th July - Reading, Reading Outside Inside Festival
10th July - Vibe Bar, Sweet Beans Festival
15th July - Cheltenham, 2000 Trees Festival
22nd July - Tunbridge Wells, The Forum
24th July - Birmingham, Off The Cuff @ The Flapper And Firkin
25th July - Leeds, The Wall
5th August - Little Somerford, Fieldview Festival
6th August - Callington, Knee Deep Festival
9th August - Isle Of Wight, Bestival
No comments:
Post a Comment