myspace music monday: Past Artist Update

No, that's not the name of an artist. You see, I logged onto myspace today, fully prepared to find the next big thing in music. Lo and behold, I am treated to a big helping of suck. Unable to find a single artist of note after about an hour of browsing, I decided to call it quits and instead revisit some past artists that I've featured. We'll see who has updated their page with new songs, and I'll rank them according to my own personal tastes. Sounds fun right?

Who's Updated?

Well, The Beams were the last band I featured before breaking for the holidays and they have since added two new songs to their page. Neither of them deviate from their "Hey, we're kind of like The Killers" approach to music-making. "Chemical Wisdom" is an unrelenting and upbeat dance rock/new wave track with group vocals and a really nice groove. The vocals are a little "meh" in my opinion and the song does go on for far too long, but if you're in the mood for a pure rock out session, it should be a good fit. Their second new song, "Watch" is just a mess. The guitars are way too prominent in the mix and far too skittery to feel infectious. The lyrics can be a bit humorous, but the song itself is completely uncatchy and borderline unlistenable. Skip it.

Of course, the group I most wanted an update from was Teacups. Alas, they have failed me. They did, however, get to open for Jose Gonazalez in New Zealand, which I'm sure was a great honor for them. I just hope that turns into some added exposure for them, because they need to be heard. Check out this sweet picture.

Swede-supreme, Sebastian Orre added two new songs to his page. The first, "Koschka" is a simple, but charming song. Staying true to his past music, his lyrics are very simple yet somehow poignant. He sings, "You saw me walking. Not much for talking, no." Clearly Sebastian. Clearly. The second song is called "Walking" and features some really excellent production. His accent adds a certain amount of innocence to the already childhood memory-inducing song. Again, the lyrics are simple but still effective. It may be the best song of his that I've yet to hear, which is a great thing. Both of these new songs show more depth from his songs that I previously reviewed, especially when it comes to adding layers on top of one another.

Ranking Them

So who do I like best out of all the artists I've featured on myspace band monday. Well if you read last week's feature the answer would be pretty clear. But to see where all the other artists stack up, just cast your gaze downward.

8. Thomas Dybdahl
7. Bicycles and Gravel
6. The Beams
5. Sebastian Orre
4. Teacups
3. The Eastern Sea
2. ContraNova
1. Hanne Kolstö

I know that you're a lazy bum and all, but you should really consider checking out all of the above mentioned artists. They are all pretty diverse and unless you only consider Linkin Park, 50 Cent, and Nickelback to be valid musicians, you should find something to your liking.

And hey, make my job easier by recommending a myspace artist for me to feature for next week. Otherwise, I'm not entirely sure what I'll come up with.

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myspace music monday: The Beams

It's Monday, and that means it's time for another installment of myspace music monday. Each week I'll present to you a different unsigned or indie artist's myspace page in the hopes that you'll enjoy what they have to offer. This week's myspace artist is a band from Cape Town, South Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Beams.

The Beams

The Beams hail from Cape Town, South Africa, rocking a sound that is seemingly familiar yet fresh. Influenced heavily by 1980s British rock, the band does their best to recreate the magic and intensity of the music period, and even achieve this a few times. If I were to make a comparison to a more notable band, The Colour is the first one that comes to mind, but The Smiths or Joy Division are not far behind. If you've ever found yourself listening to and enjoying any of these artists, keep reading. The Beams may be just the new band you've been looking for.

Music

The first song on the site is as mellow as the band gets (here at least). Paul Maree's lead vocals are, as the page states , "somewhere between Robert Smith and David Byrne." They're not nearly as strong, but they're in the general area. The music is pretty straightforward upbeat rock, and nothing about it is too incredibly whoah-inducing. But it's all very tight, and the band really seems to have their stuff together. Despite the averageness of the song, it still manages to be somewhat enjoyable. Perhaps it's just my own love of the genre, but it's hard to listen to the song and feel like it wasn't worth my time. My only real complaint is that the lyrics are somewhat unspectacular, or even easy, and each line of the verse is followed by a soft, but distracting "yeah." It's completely unnecessary and borderline annoying.

Next up is "Your Majesty," a song that picks the tempo up. Paul's vocals are all over the place here, and I can't say that they work well at all. It sounds as if he's trying to let loose and just have fun with it, but he's doing so at the expense of the song. The song is also lacking a strong hook, which is completely inexcusable for a pop song. Paul singing, "I could've been, I could've been, you know I could've been with you," isn't really doing it at all. But the song isn't entirely lacking. Every second of the song is filled with fun, cool guitar riffs (courtesy of guitarist Boško Popovac), and there is even an awesome synth line that runs throughout most of the song. It really makes it worth listening to.

The last song on the page (yes, there are only 3) is called "Two Degrees," and it is unquestionably the best. Paul's vocals are as great, letting loose as he did in "Your Majesty," but they fit with the song this time. He also adds in some falsetto during the verses, and I'm not complaining. The guitars on the song are just as, if not more, amazing. Boško's infectious composition is an absolute joy to listen to. The lyrics are a bit simplistic again, but the song is so enjoyable that you'll have a hard time caring. When Paul is shouting, "I need something to pick me up, now put me down!" during the chorus, you'll be too busy dancing to even worry about the lyrics. My only complaint about the song is that the last chorus feels tacked on. It's the most fun part of the song, but it just seems unnecessary. Overall though, "Two Degrees" is a fun track, and the reason I decided to write about the band today. Maybe you should listen to this one first.
Verdict
The band has talent. Anyone who listens to their songs can tell you that. A lot of the songs on the site don't represent that fact as well as they could, but it doesn't change the fact itself. If anything, The Beams show a significant amount of promise that will hopefully be realized as they continue to grow as musicians and as a band. Their sound is unbelievably marketable and fun to listen to, so there's hope that we'll be hearing an improved version of the band in the future. Before that happens though, they'll need to work on their songwriting skills in addition to making their hooks even more infectious than they already are. That's my opinion at least. If you like what you hear, the band recently (like 2 or 3 days ago) released an EP. You'll have to ask them where to find it though, because I don't see it for sale anywhere online. It's probably one of those things you can only get live...darn.

Links
The Beams' myspace Page
Download "Two Degrees"
Video Interview w/ Bass Player Amrik Cooper

Do you have a band in mind for myspace music monday? Send us a tip at audiooverflow@gmail.com or by leaving a comment in this post. See you next week!

All The Beams photos provided via myspace.com.

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