Skip to main content

Chvrches

53
Chvrches

Chvrches
Chvrches (stylized "CHVRCHΞS" and pronounced "Churches") is an electric-pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, formed in September 2011. The band bridges styles and eras on the strength of its own charisma. Though at times ominous and aggressive, these pop songs maintain a disarming fizziness. I first got on board with their 2013 debut album The Bones of What You Believe. That album is flawless. Those early songs and E.P.'s, like Recover EP, this band came out of the gates hot. Sort of like the Killers, Chvrches have yet to capture the magic like they so eloquently did on their first album. We've got two more albums out of them, 2015's Every Open Eye and 2018's Love Is Dead. Other than an appearance on the Hunger Games soundtrack and a song collaboration with the world-famous D.J. Marshmello, Chvrches have always seemed on the cusp of breaking through to the mainstream, obviously where their eyes are set, which is a shame, because when Chvrches were making music like no-one was listening is when they were at their best. Nothing will ever compare to hearing "The Mother We Share" or "Recover" for the first time or seeing them cover Whitney Houston's "It's Not Right But It's Okay." What works is Lauren Mayberry's powerful and vulnerable voice and Iain Cook and Martin Dohert (known as Dok) keeping down the synths and expert knob twisting. The band happened real organically after Iain recorded an E.P. for one of Lauren's earlier bands and invited her over to sing on some demos he had recorded with Martin who Iain had known from back when they went to school together. They released their song "Lies" on the Neon Gold blog and became pretty internet famous rather quickly. And after releasing such a banger of a debut album, their place in the indie world was safe. Whether they will re-capture the magic of their youth is yet to be seen, but I can confirm the talent of this band.  For a more in-depth biography of the band, check out this link. It's...

Chvrches 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Band

19 The Band The Band First known as the Hawks, the Band got their initial fame as Bob Dylan’s backing band. Remember when Bob Dylan sold out and went electric, angering fans so much that they called him “ Judas ”? Well, you can thank all of that to the Band. For a band that sounds so fucking American (seriously- no band has done the whole Americana roots music better than the Band) it’s pretty funny most of them were Canadian. After finally branching out on their own in 1968, the Band would release some of the best music ever recorded… and if you thought the Beatles had a hell of a run- check out the Band’s discography: 1968’s Music From Big Pink , 1969’s self-titled The Band , 1970’s Stage Fright , 1971’s Cahoots , 1972’s live-album Rock of Ages , 1973’s Moondog Matinee , 1975’s Northern Lights -Southern Cross , and 1977’s Islands. Lynard Skynard may have taken the crown for greatest southern rock band, but for a band full of Canadians and Americans, the Band really embraces a...

Crystal Castles

61 Crystal Castles Crystal Castles If you ever wondered what it would sound like if the video-game character Mario was catapulted through a plate-glass window- you'd get close to describing Crystal Castles. Cut up vocals and soothing waves of synth, live shows known for "fan riots, crowd surges, and metal barriers destroyed" Toronto electronic-punk-bleep-pop duo Crystal Castles is music that could only be made in the post-modern / post-millennium era, with a fan base that remembers the 8-bit era. Some dance music is meant to be played in the dark, but few dance bands bring their own darkness. This is dance music for sociopaths. Crystal Castles is the brain-child of Ethan Kath. The band began as a Kath solo project in 2003, but the producer recruited a 15-year-old Alice Glass to add vocals. Glass recorded rough soundcheck vocals for five tracks, which were secretly recorded by an en engineer, and Kath uploaded the material un der the name Crystal Castles. After rele...

Courtney Barnett

58 Courtney Barnett Courtney Barnett I first came on board with Courtney Barnett on her excellently titled debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit . Songs like " Depreston " and " Pedestrian At Best " spoke to my inner- nineties-child... someone who was just an infant during grunge and missed out on the prime years of that era- this was like a last-minute invitation to that party. Barnett has the energy of Nirvana with the pop sensibilities of Pavement. She first came on everyone's radar with the release of the song :Avant Gardener." If you l isten to " Avant Gardene r," an autobiographical account of trying to turn a life around through gardening, only to be foiled by a severe allergic reaction; it features some of the best lyric-writing in music today. There was something special about this Australian singer-songwriter. Like a grunge hangover. Few speak truth to mundanity quite like singer/songwriter Courtney Barne...