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Musically, it's all been done before. There's nothing new that can be done with the seven notes we have to play with so inevitably the old maxim of what goes around comes around rings true every so often, usually every other generation in terms of music fans.
In the last twelve months or so, it's been the turn of the eighties again, with bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Killers taking the earlier half of that decade as their inspiration and producing a pair of the better albums to grace the airwaves. Even The Strokes got in on the eighties act briefly with the synth-drenched Reptilla, but their New York City brethren The Bravery have succeeded in finally nailing everything that was great about the synthpop revolution of twenty years ago and have brought it kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century.
Formed just a couple of years ago, the brainchild of singer, songwriter and producer Sam Endicott, The Bravery are completed by keyboard player John Conway (with whom Endicott first got together to 'electronicise' his songs), guitarist Michael Zakarin, drummer Anthony Burulcich and bassist Mike H. At their HQ on the corner of Mott and
Broome near Chinatown, the band have plotted their imminent global domination, handling everything themselves, from recording their upcoming debut album to designing all of their own artwork, and producing their own videos (check out the inventive clip for new single Honest Mistake).
Having topped the BBC News website's Sound of 2005 poll, and named as one of MTV's Artists To Watch the band are about to play a short UK tour before heading out on a co-headlining US tour with Ash to promote the 'Bravery' album (released on Island records in mid-March).
So, what's it like? Well take three parts Duran Duran, two parts Cure, a dash of U2, a hint of The Smiths and a splash of Depeche Mode, mix thoroughly and decant into a shot glass and you're there.
Honest Mistake opens with a synth line reminiscent of Blue Monday before taking off like a jet-powered bonus track from the first Duran album. Endicott's vocals sit somewhere between Robert Smith and Ian McCullough without sounding too much like either one of them, and have that certain charismatic something that great front men possess. Swollen Summer continues the Duran theme, sounding like a twice-removed cousin of Friends Of Mine and features a killer synth solo that gives way to a blistering guitar workout.
No Brakes begins like early U2 done to perfection, down to the driving New Years Days bass line and Edge-esque guitar work, before delivering an infectious chorus that the Cure would kill for. Robert Smith's influence is all over Hot Pursuit as well, the song being another example of the kind of killer tune the former Banshee used to produce when he had his pop hat on.
Tyrant is, on the surface, a by-numbers mid-tempo tune that manages to sound simultaneously like a dozen of songs that spring to the tip on your tongue and yet like manages to take these familiar elements and craft something with real depth that is quite brilliant in its' apparent simplicity.
No Ring On These Fingers is a slice of vintage Bunnymen, Endicott's delivery so reminiscent of Mac in places that you can almost see him standing on stage wearing an ankle length black coat and sporting a gravity defying hairdo, hands clasped firmly around the microphone stand.
Out Of Line's arpreggiated synth line drives this swaggering bastard son of The Damned's Grimly Fiendish, and has one of those choruses that will barricade itself inside your head and refuse to come out. This is one squatter that you won't mind hanging around for a while, though.
Hot Sunshiney Day and Public Service Announcement are pure summer songs. The former will surely be gracing a car ad before long, it's bouncy bass line extolling the virtues of the latest hatchback, while the latter ricochets around the inside of your skull, all busy bass and laid back vocals (complete with background "ooh ooh"s that will be with you for months) until you can't help but move your feet. I can feel the sun from here.
Debut single Unconditional is a melodious cacophony of driving bass and distorted guitars that conjures up the spirit of the late Billy McKenzie, both in vocal delivery and sentiment as Endicott sings "I've spent my whole life surrounded / And I've spent my whole life alone". Similarly paced Fearless is a hybrid of early Duran and Duchess-era Stranglers that kicks it's way out of the speakers, not caring who gets in the way.
Open Heart Surgery breaks out the acoustic guitars and echo chamber, delivering a hypnotic ballad in the vein of Death In Vegas's Scorpio Rising that is at once calming and haunting, and proves that there is real depth to the band.
On the strength of these twelve tracks, ten of which will make it into the final running order of the album and will hopefully retain the raw, live feel that these recordings have, The Bravery show great potential and will certainly give Franz Ferdinand and The Killers a run for their money.
In the last twelve months or so, it's been the turn of the eighties again, with bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Killers taking the earlier half of that decade as their inspiration and producing a pair of the better albums to grace the airwaves. Even The Strokes got in on the eighties act briefly with the synth-drenched Reptilla, but their New York City brethren The Bravery have succeeded in finally nailing everything that was great about the synthpop revolution of twenty years ago and have brought it kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century.
Formed just a couple of years ago, the brainchild of singer, songwriter and producer Sam Endicott, The Bravery are completed by keyboard player John Conway (with whom Endicott first got together to 'electronicise' his songs), guitarist Michael Zakarin, drummer Anthony Burulcich and bassist Mike H. At their HQ on the corner of Mott and
Broome near Chinatown, the band have plotted their imminent global domination, handling everything themselves, from recording their upcoming debut album to designing all of their own artwork, and producing their own videos (check out the inventive clip for new single Honest Mistake).
Having topped the BBC News website's Sound of 2005 poll, and named as one of MTV's Artists To Watch the band are about to play a short UK tour before heading out on a co-headlining US tour with Ash to promote the 'Bravery' album (released on Island records in mid-March).
So, what's it like? Well take three parts Duran Duran, two parts Cure, a dash of U2, a hint of The Smiths and a splash of Depeche Mode, mix thoroughly and decant into a shot glass and you're there.
Honest Mistake opens with a synth line reminiscent of Blue Monday before taking off like a jet-powered bonus track from the first Duran album. Endicott's vocals sit somewhere between Robert Smith and Ian McCullough without sounding too much like either one of them, and have that certain charismatic something that great front men possess. Swollen Summer continues the Duran theme, sounding like a twice-removed cousin of Friends Of Mine and features a killer synth solo that gives way to a blistering guitar workout.
No Brakes begins like early U2 done to perfection, down to the driving New Years Days bass line and Edge-esque guitar work, before delivering an infectious chorus that the Cure would kill for. Robert Smith's influence is all over Hot Pursuit as well, the song being another example of the kind of killer tune the former Banshee used to produce when he had his pop hat on.
Tyrant is, on the surface, a by-numbers mid-tempo tune that manages to sound simultaneously like a dozen of songs that spring to the tip on your tongue and yet like manages to take these familiar elements and craft something with real depth that is quite brilliant in its' apparent simplicity.
No Ring On These Fingers is a slice of vintage Bunnymen, Endicott's delivery so reminiscent of Mac in places that you can almost see him standing on stage wearing an ankle length black coat and sporting a gravity defying hairdo, hands clasped firmly around the microphone stand.
Out Of Line's arpreggiated synth line drives this swaggering bastard son of The Damned's Grimly Fiendish, and has one of those choruses that will barricade itself inside your head and refuse to come out. This is one squatter that you won't mind hanging around for a while, though.
Hot Sunshiney Day and Public Service Announcement are pure summer songs. The former will surely be gracing a car ad before long, it's bouncy bass line extolling the virtues of the latest hatchback, while the latter ricochets around the inside of your skull, all busy bass and laid back vocals (complete with background "ooh ooh"s that will be with you for months) until you can't help but move your feet. I can feel the sun from here.
Debut single Unconditional is a melodious cacophony of driving bass and distorted guitars that conjures up the spirit of the late Billy McKenzie, both in vocal delivery and sentiment as Endicott sings "I've spent my whole life surrounded / And I've spent my whole life alone". Similarly paced Fearless is a hybrid of early Duran and Duchess-era Stranglers that kicks it's way out of the speakers, not caring who gets in the way.
Open Heart Surgery breaks out the acoustic guitars and echo chamber, delivering a hypnotic ballad in the vein of Death In Vegas's Scorpio Rising that is at once calming and haunting, and proves that there is real depth to the band.
On the strength of these twelve tracks, ten of which will make it into the final running order of the album and will hopefully retain the raw, live feel that these recordings have, The Bravery show great potential and will certainly give Franz Ferdinand and The Killers a run for their money.
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