Author Archives: Timothy Hudson

Up-and-budding rock bands these days are a dime a dozen, but looking to break out of this shell of obscurity and shattered dreams is a quartet of rockers out of Glasgow that go by the name of Chris Devotion & The Expectations. Their debut single “I Need Your Touch” was a catchy little track that most (who am I kidding, all) of you probably haven’t heard, but it didn’t do much to propel the band into notoriety. Looking to try again, the band has given us a charming little number called “A Modest Refusal.”

With a short and delicate introduction, the song quickly gets rolling into one of the most purely guitar-driven songs I’ve heard in a while. The song itself is evocative of a more raw and less practiced The Thermals, going so far as to capture the essence of their catchy guitar hooks and garage-rock esque riffs. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a masterpiece or anything, but it certainly elevates Chris Devotion & The Expectations into the realms that lay beyond obscurity.

Chris Devotion & The Expectations – A Modest Refusal

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About ten years ago, a band of New Yorkers going by the name of The Strokes released Is This It, and pretty much redefined modern indie-rock music for the rest of the decade. To celebrate its tenth year of gracing us with ridiculously catchy guitar riffs and brilliant vocals, Stereogum has presented the public with a tribute album featuring some rather big names in indie music today (including The Morning Benders) interpreting each individual track. Playing the title track from this magnum opus are the Swedish indie-rockers Peter Bjorn and John.

Taking the stance of “we just wanted to play it as good as we could” it should be no surprise that the Swedish rockers don’t differ from their source material as radically as their contemporaries. But the way they play it isn’t much like The Strokes; they play it as Peter Bjorn and John, and—as such—they transform the track into a new-wave sounding ballad with a lot more punch than the original. Everything from the stronger drumline to the absolutely fantastic guitar solo that graces the end of the track is fabulous. It’s a glorious tribute to The Strokes, and—while it might not surpass the original for the hardcore fans—it is one of the better covers I’ve heard in recent memory.

Peter Bjorn and John – Is This It

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Having one of the most-heard stories in indie-rock history, the self-made men of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have always had a significant following. Their eponymous debut album was full of impossibly catchy and remarkable tracks that made it to a number of end-of-year (and decade) lists. While their sophomore album—Some Loud Thunder—was a somewhat departure from the tightly paced tracks of their debut, it seems like the Brooklyn based band is back in form with their new album, Hysterical.

From the moment the instruments kick in on album-opening track “Same Mistake” I realized that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were back and (possibly) even better than ever. The familiar soaring vocals of Alec Ounsworth, and the playful instrumentations all work together to form memorable album opener; but Hysterical isn’t just a return to the sound of their first album. “Maniac”—while similarly playful—soars with a synthesized brass section and a perfect harmony of drums and guitar work, and demonstrates a pleasantly slight change to the formula we’ve grown to love.

Hysterical, the band’s third album, will be self-released in September.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Same Mistake

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Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Maniac

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Quite possibly one the largest indie-rock/pop breakouts in recent memory, it would be rather hard not to recognize Girls. Over the course of two years, the San Francisco band has released two phenomenal discs of music, and managed to generate quite the following. And to follow up last year’s release of the Broken Dreams Club EP, the band is set to release their next full length LP, Father, Son, Holy Ghost.

“Vomit”—the first official cut off the new album to be released to the public—shows much of the maturity that were to be had on Broken Dreams Club, with the same sort of delicacy as “Hellhole Ratrace” from their debut album. But what separates “Vomit” from their previous works, is the absolutely brilliant arrangements of everything from gospel-wails to heavy crescendos of pure emotion. It’s a very heavy song, and yet—much like “Hellhole Ratrace”—it maintains its beauty without resorting to any cliché tricks.

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is set to be released on September 13th by True Panther Records.

Girls – Vomit

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