The last month or so has seen very little music (Ok none at all) on Breaking More Waves that you’d describe as gritty. But that all changes today with a new song from Glasgow’s White and an unrepentant dirty groove of a new track called I Liked You Better When You Needed Me. If you want music that sounds like it’s been dragged from the gutter and into the darkest, seediest, nightclub for the rough and cool kids then this is it. This is a spiked cocktail of trashed romance; the louder, brasher brother to Aisha by Death In Vegas. I’ve seen some other blogs describe it as disco; well if it is it’s certainly not mining the path of Chic, The Bee Gees or Studio 54 etc, and there’s certainly no glitter or sequins to be had. However, what it does bear in similarity to disco is the sound of a band playing their hearts out (something which a lot of rock types miss – there was a lot of passion in disco). Turn this one up loud and feel those drums being hit hard, that repeated guitar riff motoring around your brain and the song leaping out of your speakers to grab your guts. Just make sure you don’t soil your pants when listening. Oh and did I mention that it’s another musician in the bath promo shot? Come on, I couldn’t post this without mentioning that could I? Hopefully if you’re a regular you’ll understand. The band play a variety of festivals this month as well as a residency at the Lexington in London. White - I Liked You Better When You Needed Me
This year at Brighton’s Great Escape there were two bands that veered completely off the Breaking More Waves radar who seem to have impressed many people who saw them. One was South African quintet Al Bairre, who won over many with their giddying enthusiasm and infectious pop, the other was White, another five piece, but this time from Glasgow. Rather like Al Barrie, what makes White’s debut track (Future Pleasures) stand out is its energy. Combining a choppy mix of frantic indie disco guitars and a hyperventilating electronic pulse, it’s indebted to the arm of Scotland’s indie lineage that likes to strut on the dance floor; think Orange Juice, Hipsway and Franz Ferdinand as reference points. There’s a hint of The Bravery and LCD Soundsystem in there as well if you listen closely and in another song, Living Fiction, the verses possess the yelp of David Bowie and elements of Roxy Music. Whilst White might be a new band, they have a past history. Lead singer Leo Condie was previously recording as Low Miffs, whilst other members of the group were in Kassidy, who you may remember, not because of their musical output, but because one of their number (who isn’t in White) was Barrie James O’Neill, the ex-boyfriend of Lana Del Rey. White’s name is already getting a small amount of buzz in new music circles, but you won’t find their songs on new music blog aggregator Hype Machine yet. The reason? The band have signed to Sony, who are busy withdrawing all of their artists from Soundcloud, and as they’re only streaming the track through You Tube, that means that Hype Machine can’t pick the music up and potentially stream it to thousands of new music lovers. Let’s hope this decision doesn’t affect the development of fan bases for new emerging acts such as White, in an age where it’s getting harder and harder to break new bands. White - Future Pleasures
