Color Me Impressed

Admit it. We have all fallen for hype at one time or another. In our youth, it would happen when a bunch of music magazines would get behind a band before we ever heard a note. The phenomenon seemed to worsen with the advent of the Internet, but at least we could sample the work with the push of a button (which took the mystery and fun right out of it, but that's a post for another day). That also meant there were no excuses when we shelled out the bucks for something that didn't quite stand the test of time.

At no other period in my life was I more influenced by the hype machine then the first decade of the 21st century, particularly around 2004-2006. The reasons for this are many, but I can boil it down to: A) working for an Internet company that kept me online all day, B) keeping my ear to the ground for new music because it was a tiny part of my job and C) working with a few others that were into music as much as I was and were kind of snobby and competitive about it.

I thought it might be interesting to go back approximately 15 years and reassess a handful of those hyped bands that made an impression at the time. How did they age? Do I still listen to them? Are these records collecting dust? Do I even still have them? If you're still a little lost, I'll go back a few more years to shed some light. At the turn of the century, the hype machine had a field day with bands like the Hives, the Shins and the Strokes. Did they deserve all of that attention? Have you enjoyed any of their records lately? That's what I aim to find out with a few hyped bands from 2004-2006.

The Crayon Fields certainly got a heap of attention in 2006. The Melbourne quartet was led by Geoff O'Connor, and he was positioned as a young whizkid in the mold of a Brian Wilson or Roddy Frame. Press releases told of O'Connor's record collection only containing music from the '60s, and the band was often compared to the Zombies, the Byrds (as most 12-string guitar bands are) and even the Association. The production on debut album 'Animal Bells' was somewhat lo-fi, but the songs seemed dreamy and complex anyway. I'm a real sucker for pop songs with sleigh bells, glockenspiel and other odd pieces of percussion, and this album fit the bill. The vocals were layered, intricate and beautiful. In short, the critics and bloggers raved, and I went right along with them.

Living So Well

Three years later, followup 'All the Pleasures of the World' was released to even more acclaim. Now it felt like the cat was really out of the bag, and on some level that always bothers us early fans, doesn't it? The '60s vibe was still there. The album did, however, sound less innocent and more polished than the debut, but I fell for its charms anyway. Anyway, you shouldn't really fault a band for the crime of getting better at their craft and for being rewarded with a bigger budget... but I have been known to do that from time to time.

Mirror Ball

That's where I got off. Six years would pass before there would be another album from the Crayon Fields. During the hiatus, O'Connor worked on solo material and other side projects. He also must have expanded his record collection because third album 'No One Deserves You' was heavily influenced by '80s synthpop. That would usually be right up my alley, but the album left me cold. Six years is an eternity in pop music, and the kind words from critics had evaporated. In fact, I don't recall reading much about this album at all when it came out.

Did the Crayon Fields live up to the hype? Absolutely. Those first two albums were fantastic, and having just listened to both of them tonight I think they have held up well. 'Animal Bells' has been reissued in recent years. 'All the Pleasures of the World' was just given the deluxe treatment back in February and includes eight bonus tracks of B-sides, covers and really interesting moog versions of the singles. Back next time with another hyped album from the same period.