From January 14 to 25 I will be counting down the ten new acts I expect big things from in 2008. As always, its tough to predict just who will break through and who will fade into obscurity once the year ends, but really, the point of this exercise is to get you pumped about the artists Im pumped about. Enjoy reading, and dont hesitate to point out how right or wrong I was to us when 2009 comes around.
They say patience is a virtue, and if that is true then the band from Guelph often misspelled as the "DUbervilles (which would translate as "exceptional town, a rather lame name for a band; instead these dudes are hard - or should I say, "Hardy") are some real virtuous motherfuckers. Someone once told me they weren't big on how the band take a while to get to the point (read: some time passes before it gets loud and good), but considering none of their songs even strike the five-minute mark, well, thats just impatience on said listeners part. Personally, I enjoy how the DUrbervilles begin with a slow strut and build up to a climactic and feverish getaway. You can always anticipate that crashing wave of the band converging in noise. They seem to do it with every song; in fact, just listening to their debut full-length, We Are the Hunters (out February 19 on Out of This Spark), I come to realise that, hey, its their signature move - kind of like how Koko B. Ware had the "Ghostbuster or crazy Bob Backlund had the "Crossface Chickenwing. The DUrbs get in the ring, build up some energy with some mild arm grappling, and then BAM! they start wailing on you up against the turnbuckle with their guitarmy force and slam you to the ground. Okay, so it has little to do with wrestling, but it's important to recognise that it also has little to do with that "quiet-to-loud post-rock bullshit. This is just on-the-edge rocknroll that explodes when the time calls for it.
Their self-titled EP from 2006 was an impressive premiere, but We Are the Hunters hones their sound with some polished production (no, no, its not quite Bloc Party), elevating the intensity of their dynamic interplay and emotional turbulence. As "Hot Tips proves, though, these dudes can also be sexy, slipping in the kind of falsettoed back-up vocals and handclaps that earns unpretty bands like Spoon their groupies. In 2008, I'm looking for the DUrbervilles (theres more than one "r in there, remember) to rise above the indie ranks and become one of the nations great exports. No pressure though...
The D'Urbervilles "Hot Tips"
They say patience is a virtue, and if that is true then the band from Guelph often misspelled as the "DUbervilles (which would translate as "exceptional town, a rather lame name for a band; instead these dudes are hard - or should I say, "Hardy") are some real virtuous motherfuckers. Someone once told me they weren't big on how the band take a while to get to the point (read: some time passes before it gets loud and good), but considering none of their songs even strike the five-minute mark, well, thats just impatience on said listeners part. Personally, I enjoy how the DUrbervilles begin with a slow strut and build up to a climactic and feverish getaway. You can always anticipate that crashing wave of the band converging in noise. They seem to do it with every song; in fact, just listening to their debut full-length, We Are the Hunters (out February 19 on Out of This Spark), I come to realise that, hey, its their signature move - kind of like how Koko B. Ware had the "Ghostbuster or crazy Bob Backlund had the "Crossface Chickenwing. The DUrbs get in the ring, build up some energy with some mild arm grappling, and then BAM! they start wailing on you up against the turnbuckle with their guitarmy force and slam you to the ground. Okay, so it has little to do with wrestling, but it's important to recognise that it also has little to do with that "quiet-to-loud post-rock bullshit. This is just on-the-edge rocknroll that explodes when the time calls for it.
Their self-titled EP from 2006 was an impressive premiere, but We Are the Hunters hones their sound with some polished production (no, no, its not quite Bloc Party), elevating the intensity of their dynamic interplay and emotional turbulence. As "Hot Tips proves, though, these dudes can also be sexy, slipping in the kind of falsettoed back-up vocals and handclaps that earns unpretty bands like Spoon their groupies. In 2008, I'm looking for the DUrbervilles (theres more than one "r in there, remember) to rise above the indie ranks and become one of the nations great exports. No pressure though...
The D'Urbervilles "Hot Tips"
