OK, this is hopefully going to the be the start of something wonderful. I have forever been waiting for a forum to talk about music. A friend of mine, with whom I used to work a 3rd shift job with. Just the 2 of us, 10 hrs. a night, 4 nights a week. Exclusively. We used to take on various topics during the tedium just to keep ourselves awake. With one exception. We always talked about music. 20 greatest solo guitarists. 20 greatest songwriters, 10 favorite vocalists. etc... for hours. we used to joke that we should have started a radio show based solely upon what we were already discussing, so that we could take listener phone calls to get in a 3rd point of view. It was actually the highlight of a 6 and a half year career.
With that said, I felt I had to start this because of 1 band in particular, and the song you can view nad hear below. The Boxer Rebellion.
I didn't want to start this just to sing thier glories and praises, or to beat them into a bloody mess. I juat felt the need to have an actual open dialogue about them. I found that by clicking many of thier videos on youtube that it was all "they're the greatest ever", "how can anyone dislike this", And so on and so forth. Once it came my turn to leave a particularly detailed review of the song and video, I found I had 500 charecters to do so. I used them in about 45 seconds. All I wanted to do was give an honest, and thought provoking intertpetation of what was streaming through my senses. Which is what the true intent of this blog will be. For all to give an honest, open, thought provoking interpretation of the band, or theme, or whathave you for that moment. So here we go.
A couple of nights ago, my wife and I were putting our 2 three year old boys to bed, and happened across a very funny comedy (or so I thought) on HBO. "Going the Distance". Now, at first I had trouble believing that Drew Barrymore would be dating Justin Long, but that another blog entirely, and we wont get into it. While watching, we find that the main players fall in love, and ultimately rekindle thier attraction at a concert featuring The Boxer Rebellion. At first glance I was positive that this was a fictional band, used for storyline purposes. I does happen. After the TV went dark, I went onto wikipedia, and low and behold.... they're real! The featured song was one they had been contracted to write for the motion picture. nice!
Then I wached the video, and looked at the comments, and found that there just wasn't much commenting... just lip service. I for one am strangely attracted to this genre of music. They are a very rough cut, 4 piece, indie rock band. the vocalist is from Kentucky, the lead guitarist from Australia, the bass player and drummer both hail from the UK. You're bound to end up with a very ecclectic sound this way. But you don't. They sond erriely similar to another (very successful) rock band from the UK called Coldplay.
Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I think thier music is bad. It's just been done already. It wasn't improved upon, it was just the same thing. I dare anyone to listen to 3 of this band's songs, and then listen to 3 songs from the Colplay album "Parachutes". You'll see what I mean. Chris Martin's falsetto is sooooooo much more developed that Nathan's. and it's really missing a 5th instrument to tie it up, and make it whole. I just feels like an incomplete sentence. The lyrics are very pedestrian for the most part, "the only only"???? It makes sense, but doesn't. As I said in my comment on youtube, Ill prolly go out and purcase thier 3 albums, which they have put together, and distributed all while maintaining independence from a record label, making them truely indie rock, and pack away an afternoon to really figure this out.
On the lighter side of things, I must say that this band's growing popularity is really a breath of fresh air. It means that people are actually paying attention to what they allow into thier ears, rather than the same ol Katie Perry, and Justin Beiber force fed through the mainstream. I for one, really hope this catches on, and becomes the standard rather than the exception.
More to Follow, I hope someone has enjoyed this, and is moved to put thier two cents into the ring. until next time, Good night.
