Paul's Choice:
New Politics - New Politics
So, you probably may know (or you may not, jeez what do I know) that I got to interview New Politics and then watch them play live later that night. THIS WAS EASILY ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS I HAVE EVER GOTTEN TO DO. But I will get into all of that later; right now I’m going to talk about their recently released self-titled album.
I’m going to start out with the opening track and the band’s debut single, “Yeah Yeah Yeah”. I’ve heard people say that LCD Soundsystem’s song “Drunk Girls” is the song of the summer. That’s crap, don’t listen to those people. Another nomination is Wavves’ “King of the Beach”. Definitely runner-up, but no cigar. People, “Yeah Yeah Yeah” is the song of the summer and there is no better song blast on full volume as you roll down Beltline feeling awesome. Maybe that’s just me, I dunno. But this is pretty much a perfect song, it combines a ridiculously catchy chorus, a march-style bridge, and great instrumentation (the guitar solo and each drum fill are very appropriate and awesome). The lyrics of this opener set a theme regular throughout the rest of the album: rebellion. New Politics’ lyrics are witty and powerful and as a result the album as a whole packs a pretty powerful punch. This is album is pure good alternative rock composed of all the right parts great instrumentation (despite lacking a bassist, all the songs sound full and have catchy melodies), great vocals (the band finds a good balance between rapping and singing, it’s definitely not overdone in anyway), and great lyrics (any middle-schooler looking to get out of the MTV phase needs to listen to this album). This is the best debut album I’ve heard from a band in a while and I’m definitely expecting to hear more from these guys in the future (“Give Me Hope” and “Dignity” are just waiting to get popular).
As for their live set, if you ever get a chance to see New Politics play live, TAKE IT! These guys put so much energy into each song, I don’t know how they do it day in and day out. It’s just simply awesome to see David Boyd breakdance, Poul Ameliel drum while standing up (which I try to do constantly and fail at) and Soren Hansen rock out with his cock out (nah, he doesn’t do that, but he is a really rad guitarist). And they sound absolutely fantastic so don’t miss out!
I’m going to start out with the opening track and the band’s debut single, “Yeah Yeah Yeah”. I’ve heard people say that LCD Soundsystem’s song “Drunk Girls” is the song of the summer. That’s crap, don’t listen to those people. Another nomination is Wavves’ “King of the Beach”. Definitely runner-up, but no cigar. People, “Yeah Yeah Yeah” is the song of the summer and there is no better song blast on full volume as you roll down Beltline feeling awesome. Maybe that’s just me, I dunno. But this is pretty much a perfect song, it combines a ridiculously catchy chorus, a march-style bridge, and great instrumentation (the guitar solo and each drum fill are very appropriate and awesome). The lyrics of this opener set a theme regular throughout the rest of the album: rebellion. New Politics’ lyrics are witty and powerful and as a result the album as a whole packs a pretty powerful punch. This is album is pure good alternative rock composed of all the right parts great instrumentation (despite lacking a bassist, all the songs sound full and have catchy melodies), great vocals (the band finds a good balance between rapping and singing, it’s definitely not overdone in anyway), and great lyrics (any middle-schooler looking to get out of the MTV phase needs to listen to this album). This is the best debut album I’ve heard from a band in a while and I’m definitely expecting to hear more from these guys in the future (“Give Me Hope” and “Dignity” are just waiting to get popular).
As for their live set, if you ever get a chance to see New Politics play live, TAKE IT! These guys put so much energy into each song, I don’t know how they do it day in and day out. It’s just simply awesome to see David Boyd breakdance, Poul Ameliel drum while standing up (which I try to do constantly and fail at) and Soren Hansen rock out with his cock out (nah, he doesn’t do that, but he is a really rad guitarist). And they sound absolutely fantastic so don’t miss out!
Friend Rating:
8.6
Hipster Review:
I remember Paul coming up to me one band practice, laptop in hand saying, "Check this out." So I watched; what he was showing me was a music video for New Politics' single "Yeah Yeah Yeah." It was pretty good; I mean, granted it wasn't particularly my thing, but it was interesting enough. It was a familiar sound, but it was energetic and catchy. So, I went into the Denmark band's debut expecting that same energetic pull, something distinguishable from the myriad of other Alt-rock groups today.
No such luck. A lot of the songs on this album are very samey, though not in the sense that every song sounds the same; on the contrary, each song has its own distinct feel and sonic approach. What does feel the same, however, is the band's music compared to any number of other Alt-rock bands out there; I just feel like I've heard this many, many times before - and I wasn't exactly a fan of the first few times either. There are some good ideas here, but personally there's just too much here that doesn't really grab me. Granted, it could be a lot worse (Third Eye Blind is better than Nickleback, after all), but it's still just not my thing. I mean, there's definitely a good audience for this band, I have no doubt. I'm just not a part of it.
No such luck. A lot of the songs on this album are very samey, though not in the sense that every song sounds the same; on the contrary, each song has its own distinct feel and sonic approach. What does feel the same, however, is the band's music compared to any number of other Alt-rock bands out there; I just feel like I've heard this many, many times before - and I wasn't exactly a fan of the first few times either. There are some good ideas here, but personally there's just too much here that doesn't really grab me. Granted, it could be a lot worse (Third Eye Blind is better than Nickleback, after all), but it's still just not my thing. I mean, there's definitely a good audience for this band, I have no doubt. I'm just not a part of it.
Hipster Rating:
6.1
Coming up next, The Way Out by The Books!
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