Tag Archives: Nottingham

Dog Is Dead – ‘Teenage Daughter’

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Having been lucky enough to see these lovely chaps last year at what was an exceptional gig, I was keen to hear the latest from the five piece indie band. Hailing from Nottingham they are a pretty standard indie band and this track is nothing extraordinary. That does not however make it necessarily bad, doesn’t take away the fact they are a brilliant live band, nor does it stop the bass player looking bizarrely like my younger brother (WEIRD). The track comes from their debut album All Our Favourite Stories which is out now to buy.

The track is a chilled, laidback affair with a nice catchy melody and it builds at a good pace to a pleasing climax. I don’t entirely understand the meaning or emotion behind the song, perhaps I am a simple creature but without a story or feeling behind a song I do find it hard to attach myself to a track. It is, however, very pleasant to listen to and is well written. There may be nothing technically wrong with the track, but I just don’t feel it. This makes me a bit sad because they are a band I’ve really liked over the past year, but I guess that’s one of the worst (and best) things about music. It either gets you or it doesn’t.  Therefore I am giving this track a 4/10 as I am not a great fan, but I am not going to give up hope with Dog Is Dead as I know they really can be so so brilliant.

 

Holly Abbott

Dog Is Dead – ‘Hands Down

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So here we have another dose of infectious, truly British indie-pop by the eclectic five-piece, Dog is Dead, who have well and truly made their entrance onto the British indie stage. But they are not the most typical indie group. Probably because they are not characterised by wearing clothes likely to be worn by your grandparents. Hailing from Nottingham, this group is well on its way to becoming a classic part of the oh-so-fashionable indie scene of the now. Having played at Glastonbury in 2010 and supported the Bombay Bicycle Club on their tour earlier this year, its unsurprising they are quickly becoming an integral part of fashionable youth culture. And their latest single, ‘Hands Down’ is certainly a representation of this.

For a start, I expected this indie band to be like any other, with music that often makes me want to fall asleep. The track begins with a very relaxing heartbeat of repetitive strumming and a light drum beat. But as it continues, the drum beat, guitar riffs and even the vocals become considerably stronger and more interesting. The vocals certainly remind me of folk singer Benjamin Frances Leftwich, who I have reviewed previously, but I do think that lead vocalist, Robert Milton, has a much greater range than poor Benjamin. Strangely, there’s even a slice of Matt Bellamy in there, which is just far too confusing! The chorus is sure to be a popular sing-along, with the whole band seeming to be chipping in with the vocals. The much stronger beat of the whole song does make you want to dance around much more than most indie songs do, which is just like I think they should be. And towards the end there is quite a lot of distortion of the guitar, which adds another dimension to the song and keeps you pretty interested. This track is certainly truer to their indie roots, with some evident rock elements and strong vocals (although I don’t really know what he’s saying half the time – but hey, just enjoy the moment). Its good to hear some newcomers that really understand the indie genre, and are certainly not over-produced.

With the band currently working on their much anticipated debut album, which is to released in 2012, I expect that even more frenzy will arise around Dog is Dead. And with their biggest headline show being played in their hometown on the 17th of this month, it seems as though the best is yet to come…

Faith Thomson

Timestealers

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Here we have  Timestealers, a comic young band from Nottingham. It appears to be that their main inspirations for writing music are sexual frustration, infidelity and fish, three things that don’t completely fill the listener with excitement. The music on its own is uninspiring with the same collection of instruments all the way through and the vocals are not particularly impressive, however if you listen closely to the lyrics (ignoring everything else) there are sometimes some witty things said. For example their song, ‘The Pursuit’, has a spoken section with a few choice chat up lines and the verse that goes,

“I’m dancing on the table,

With chopsticks in my hair,

I’m sexually frustrated,

Beware.”

And that pretty much sums up their lyrics in all their songs. The Pursuit’s chorus however does in some ways resemble and early Beatles. The song ‘Ugly Love’ also is an interesting one, with a harmony and repeated gypsy piano vamp. Which starts off with some interesting, if somewhat out of tune, vocal harmonies. Nearing the end of this song there is an interesting development in the guitar line along with the flute. They join together to make an exciting instrumental section.

If you listen to the guitarist, he is one of the only redeeming qualities in the music. His solos are very clever and help to move the songs along, stopping the music from being too repetitive. The flute player also holds her own with some interesting trills and countermelodies.

To be honest there isn’t much more to say about Timestealers. If you like comic gypsy and fusion music, then they are the perfect band for you and even if you don’t they are certainly worth a listen as their music grows on you. Its like the music of the younger brother that you never had and his slightly tone deaf band. Awkward to listen to listen to, but still endearing. By the time I have finished this review the songs are stuck strongly in my head. Like the vocals, the lyrics will haunt me for a long time.

Lucie Douglas