by Alec Muffett
I saw the Polyphonic Spree and Mull Historical Sociaty at the Carling Academy in Birmingham last July; it’s with some interest that I find Hope of the States – one of the support bands at that gig, who seemed both terribly good and terribly young – have got a (debut) album out later this month.
I’ll be getting it – but I am saddened to see that their guitarist has since hung himself – he was very good… [www.nme.com]
Sad irony that today’s streaming track from HotS is “Don’t go to pieces”. If that’s the obligatory “slow song”, could be promising; on the other hand, if it’s *all* like that….
I hear good things about MHS (got a track on a freeby magazine CD some time ago); don’t know PolySpree. Neither has made it over to the US AFAIK.
They set that HotS did in Birmingham was a mix of styles which had a strong resonance with early Radiohead, but much stronger guitar – verging on Guitar-Hero during a solo – and much less of the sepulchral whining. I’ll post an album review in a few weeks.
MHS is a band to which I was introduced by a much younger colleague, and the first album has got possibly the most upbeat, stick-in-your-head song that I know – “Watching Xanadu”. I found the second MHS album doesn’t have the infinite replayability of the first, but it’s not bad. Both albums are very British/Scots, and my affection is probably helped by the splicing of background effects like (a) the shipping forecast, and (b) a CalMac ferry embarcation announcement, into the fabric linking the songs.
Aforementioned colleague and I are off to see the band in London in a few weeks.
As for Polyphonic Spree? They’re an American band, from Texas and elsewhere, probably most rapidly – and semi-accurately – described as “retro-hippie ELO for the MTV Rock Festival Generation”. Alas their website has a ton of Flash.
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