![]() ![]() Any ounce of compromise and you might as well start championing mediocrity like all of the other Nickelback and Godsmack sound-alikes in the area.Īrt in general is a big part of this band's world. In other words, Bigmouth's music is art for art's sake, as opposed to money's sake, getting some ass's sake, etc. "Or, how can so-and-so sell out a stadium? Or, who would ever pay for this movie to be made? Or, how is Danielle Steel a bestseller?" "Why the fuck would someone spend their hard-earned money on a Britney Spears album?" he asks. Well, if you ask Bigmouth guitarist Chris Hoke, that question needs to be inverted. So, why would a band go this route? Why sacrifice commercial success in favor of artsiness that might alienate half of your audience? "We're not afraid of 'inactive listeners,' meaning that we can be just background music," Gottloeb says, "like the score to the movie that is your life." It's an introverted artform that, for the casual bar-goer, can be a bit of a put-off. The performances are more of an implosion than anything else audience members will likely see as much of the band's backs as their faces. This, of course, is totally artsy-fartsy, at least to folks who are unfamiliar with the concept of an instrumental rock band. "Non-verbal expression, while the most primal form of creativity, can be the most rewarding," adds drummer Elliott Gottloeb. ![]() "I think guitar melody is very much a vocal line," says bassist Caleb Smith, "and that the music can emote as much with tempo, melody and energy as it could with actual, recognizable lyrics and vocals." This sort of musical model requires some effort on the part of the listener, but for that same reason can yield some powerful returns. ![]() Theirs are not so much songs as movements, tangled, dynamic orchestrations that rely as much on the ebb and flow of emotions as any kind of dictated song structure.Īs is the case with revered instrumentalists Explosions In The Sky, Bigmouth Strikes Again fills the vocal gap with harmonies provided, or at least hinted at, by the guitar work (bass included). Musically, they don't so much bridge the gap, but rather toggle violently back and forth between, the fuzzed-out bliss of My Bloody Valentine and the ethereal drama of Sigur Rós. Bigmouth Strikes Again, thankfully, has chosen the path of righteousness. Usually, instrumental bands swing one of two ways: in the direction of pretentious self-indulgence or transcendent musical beauty. Fortunately, there are even better reasons to check out this band. Morrissey’s lyrics are superb here: once again, the message is simple, but the punchlines and one-liners are hilarious enough to elevate that beyond simple kitsch or novelty - instead, it becomes more like a twisted Carry On film, with the same humour filtered through an increasingly more violent and bitter edge.We might as well start this article by clearing the proverbial room: Bigmouth Strikes Again is an avant-garde instrumental band that gets its name from an old Smiths album and its song titles from Dave Eggers novels.Īnyone still here? Good. From the irresistible chiming guitar strums at the curtain rise, which lead magnificently into the runaway train rhythm section - Joyce is pounding at the snare, while Rourke anchors the piece with another robust, melodic bassline, that brings an element of terse funk back to the proceedings also. Regardless of this more undesirable (at least in my view) connotation, the song is another (yes, another) top tier Smiths number. For a song as famous as this song, it sometimes shocks me that it doesn’t get too highly valued in lists or publications: more often now, it’s the fodder for “witty” headline material (see also: “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” and all you can spin out of that).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |