The Relict- Tomorrow is Again

What a brilliant album to get a hold of on a Sunday which is appropriately cloudy. I was lucky enough to listen to  the The Relict's 2006 debut album Tomorrow is again with just the right weather, a cup of coffee and with nothing to do. Don't worry, it's not necessary to have all those conditions present but it sure does help. 

The band is from the United Kingdom and in all fairness it's more of a project than a proper band with former Cleintelle member Innes Phillips, Pam Berry of the Pines and Lupe Nunas of the Pipas coming together for a one kickass album. Though they're from different bands with different roots, The Relict manages to get the best out of all of them with a final product that makes you want to listen to the whole album all over again and gives you a reason to stay in your bed and read your book and makes you think that the outside world can't possibly provide much better. It can't.

Listen to the whole album. Seriously, you'll enjoy it. But since I don't have the time or the patience to review each song I'm going to tell you about three. Southern Way has got to be one of my favourites on the album. It's pure and simple haunting. It makes you feel like you're in some kinds of Gabriel Garcia Marques story with a rather simple story line but with lyrics that paint a very clear picture and suddenly you feel like you're  right there. It's got a brilliant combination of melancholy and hope which the acoustic guitar and the croony vocals maintain throughout.

Then listen to I saw your eyes. This is a song to hold on to. Right from the go with its very simple strum and base line you get the feeling that this song is going to leave you feeling good at the end of it and it doesn't disappoint. Backed with amazing amazing vocals which are a characteristic feature of the album, the song doesn't try to do too much but you soon realize that it does enough. Imagine Bon Iver meets Belle and Sebastian. How can something like that go wrong? In case you haven't heard of either Bon Iver or Belle and Sebastian, you should. 

Time Spent with you  is another track that deserves a listen which tackles complex and riveting emotions with simple pastoral chords. By the time you reach this track on the album though you realize that you've warmed up to the band and how they go about their tracks with an ease that seems to come to easily and nobody's complaining.   

Cheers,

Coomar.

Songs- Southern Way, Time Spent with you, I saw your eyes

Album- Tomorrow is again.

Where to listen- Grooveshark

Thank you Two hour Traffic

Thank you Two hours Traffic

So tonight was epic. Absolutely brilliant. The day started with an amazing football victory (there's going to be a music entry about that soon) and it ended with the chance to have beer with a pretty fucking cool band.

Two hours traffic is this indie band from Canada on their India Hard Rock tour and I was lucky enough to see them live at Hard Rock Bangalore. The band comprising of Liam Corcoran (lead vocals and guitars), Alec (guitars, back up vocals) Andrew MacDonald (Bass) and Derek (drums) come together brilliantly as a live act. What was exceptionally cool about them was how god damn down to earth they were and how incredibly in their element they were on that stage. They started off with a few of their regulars which meant nothing to an Indian audience who seems to still be illiterate to the different music playing in the world. One jackass actually screamed METALLICA! after they played one of their songs. Wow. Anyway enough about the overcompensators.

I'm here to tell you about the show. These guys weren't really the types that kept bitching about how we don't know their music. But then Bangalore was the last of their gigs in India. Maybe they just sort of wised up about how unknown they are and how they might need to change that. And they did a pretty good job of it. They played Whenever we finish as one of their earlier songs which is one of their more musically adept tracks because it distinguishes them from a number of other power pop indie bands with a really nice base line and some brilliant back up vocals. That's one thing you'll notice about them after you listen to some of their tracks. Some very good back up vocals. Whenver we finish isn't one of my favourites but its nice enough. Better sorry than safe however is. This song is one which actually got the crowd of like thirty pretty excited and rightfully so. It's got a catchy tune, and if you can get a Punjabi aunty to start nodding her head in approval even if it was after finishing her chicken platter. It's a job well done.

To be completely honest however, I went there to listen to Jezebel. It's an absolute power pop indie song. But it's fucking brilliant. It's actually the first song I heard by the band and its also associated with a pretty cool story. I think its a very likable song. Nothing exceptional lyrically or musically but it gets stuck in your head, in a good way.

What I liked a lot was the fact that Two Hours Traffic covered some nice songs too. They covered The Cure- Friday I'm in Love which got a few people going (like three) and The Smiths which was amazing. I never thought I'd get to hear any cover of The Smiths live, let alone a good one.

So all in all, it was a killer gig. I waited around and the band was nice enough to sign the overpriced CD they were selling at Hard Rock and that sort of made up for the fact that the Hard Rock waiters kept asking me if I was meeting someone. Can't a guy eat a meal alone? Jeez. But who cares? I drank beer with a pretty kickass band. The night was epic.

Cheers,

Coomar.

P.S- Listen to  stuck for the summer and Heroes of the sidewalk.

http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Jezebel/2Lf78U?src=5