Wishing Well

I read a few people making some mean comments about lists and those who make them at the end of the year. That is such a cheap shot, and such an easy time of year to take it. Personally I really like the traditional end of year lists that people make. Not the ones in the mainstream press so much (as lists of ‘important’ stories peopled by personalities I do not recognise they tend only to reaffirm my detachment from everyday life which, I may add, I am quite happy about) but certainly the ones by friends and those whose tastes have in the past tended to overlap at least partly with mine. So yes, those lists are nearly always entertaining and useful. They give me glimpses of what I missed out on and alert me to things to try and keep track of in the year ahead. Also the very ‘end of year-ness’ is crucial as it brings together the act of review and reflection with a period when I just might have time to read and follow up on things.

So it was that my eMusic allocation for January was used up in just one day of frenzied downloading, and my iTunes and Amazon accounts got hit for six. Avi Buffalo, Chaim, Darkstar, Deerhunter, The Fresh and Onlys, Harlem, Matthew Dear, No Age, Violens, Women, Zola Jesus and more... Some great sounds. Some in spite of cynicism.

Elsewhere, like many others, I’ve been catching up with White Wishes. Someone said they were lost for words when they heard their record on Shelflife, but I wouldn’t got that far. I’ve been mildly diverted by ‘Today’ and rather hope it will continue to seduce me with its slightly creepy tendrils throughout the rest of the month. Time will tell.

More immediately captivating has been the ‘Wishing Well’ EP by The Notes. Now I first heard The Notes at the end of September last year with their ‘Introducing The Notes’ EP. I though I had shared it here as part of a mix, but a quick search shows that is clearly not the case. Perhaps it may sneak onto an end of January mix here. We shall see. For that is one of my thoughts for the coming year: end of month reviews of whatever has caught my ear in mix format, perhaps accompanied by a few words. I like the thought of fewer ‘off the cuff’ posts but more considered, fully formed (and edited) articles.

But yes, for now, The Notes. If you know your indiepop story you know how this sounds: it’s todays sound of yesterday, tomorrow. So, you know, take a splash of noisy surf melody, a dash of drums that sound like cake tins in an echo chamber and a smattering of breathy detached vocals and hey presto! Instant indiepop for the second decade of the third millennium. As a result, part of me should hate The Notes. After all, other groups of this ilk have raised my ire in the past and no doubt will again. But hey, if you want to lift a guitar and dress up in pretty dresses, you have to accept that risk: I’m either gonna love or hate you. Not that you’d care much, but at least give me the illusion of having influence. Even if it’s only on myself.

So I love The Notes. The Notes are hitting all the right targets. The darkness takes the edge of the prettiness; the noise discordant enough to cannon off the melodies and leave an imprint of intriguing shape and pattern. In the January gloom, it’s more than enough.

Download the ‘Wishing Well’ EP from The Notes’ bandcamp page (pay what you want) and/or order the double 10” aqua coloured vinyl disc artefact from Bleeding Gold.

Comments

[Andrew]

I love them too! I love the way they seem to have programmed mistakes in to the drum machine - the way the songs stumble and bumble and, yes, there's a bit of (Rowche) rumble in there somewhere if you listen very carefully; I love the fact that they remind me of Bubblegum Splash and the first Sundays* single and just how much I can love music above everything else at times - that doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I let go and let it happen.

*If those influences sound too drippy, then Dancing Shoes off of Introducing... could have come straight of off Revenge Of The Killer Pussycats.

So, to sum up: The Notes are great!

[alistair fitchett]

Andrew, spot on about the (Rowche) rumble! And what you say about the way in which music can apparently inexplicably bring on that surge of love is also exactly right. Just when you've heard innumerable dreary impostors and despair of ever getting that thrill again, it literally Pops up and hits you right between the eyes. Pow!

And I got my vinyl copy of 'Wishing Well' in the mail this morning. What a wonderful package! Pure Pop Art.