The Go! Team were a breath of fresh air when 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' hit the shelves, and songwriter Ian Parton was a genius with the use of samples. This album was a real party, and the use of different styles meant everyone was invited. Garnered them a Mercury Prize nomination to boot. Alas, for me, the Go! Team was a very brief passing fancy. Listening to them now, 15 years have been harsh on this album, and the sound seems terribly dated. If you want to hear what 2005 sounded like, start here.
The Pipettes were label mates with the Go! Team on Memphis Industries, and the retro band even opened for them for a spell. In Spector-like fashion, a mysterious puppet master named Monster Bobby seemed to pull all of the strings, and the trio of ladies were backed by a talented band dubbed the Cassettes. The gals wore matching polka-dot dresses and had choreographed moves like '60s girl groups. The themes of their songs were rougher than the Shangri-Las, and that's saying something. They were a big hit at SXSW, and the self-titled debut album got a complete makeover for the American audience. As expected, take two of 'We Are the Pipettes' was nowhere near as good as the version on Memphis Industries. I still dig this album, and I continue to follow Gwenno's solo career to this day. If you don't already, you should too.
During this era, no band lit up the Internet quite like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Pitchfork fawned over their self-released, self-titled debut, and that publication had the clout back then, didn't it? Everyone else followed. I remember the reviewer said they were like Arcade Fire but fun (another band from this era that was part of the hype machine!). David Byrne was a fan, and he should have been because front man Alec Ounsworth sounded a lot like him. CYHSY were a great story because it all felt so organic. Of course, they signed to Wichita and lost some of that luster. I never bought anything else by them, but I have a pal or two that have told me they were worth following for a while. I was shocked to see today that there have been albums through 2017, along with plenty of solo material and side projects along the way. Outside of the horrible opening song, I think this album has held up.
Much like CYHSY, Tapes 'n Tapes were a small indie that made big noise on the blogs and got a rave review from Pitchfork with their debut album. 'The Loon' got picked up by XL Recordings and more buzz followed. I listened to the album this week, and the only song I instantly remembered was "Insistor." That one still sounds great, but the rest of the album didn't do much for me. This is the only album I have by Tapes 'n Tapes. In fact, I don't believe I have ever heard anything else, but there were two more albums. The second album must not have done much or they had a falling out with XL because the band ended up back on Ibid, the label they started to release 'The Loon.' For me this one doesn't feel like it has lived up to the hype, and I'm not sure it should have been hyped in the first place.
I discovered gUiLLeMoTs in the spring of 2006 with a double 10" called "From the Cliffs," which was a mishmash of a previously released EP and single along with a new song. What really seemed to catch fire from that collection was the track "Trains to Brazil," and this is one of my favorite songs from the entire decade. Fyfe Dangerfield and Co. seemed to throw everything at this tune, and it all worked, especially the brass. It's the song that would not die. Even into the fall it was single of the week on iTunes. Not bad considering it was first released back in 2005. In the summer of 2006, gUiLLeMoTs somehow topped "From the Cliffs" with the full length 'Through the Windowpane.' By now the hype machine was running full steam, and the end result was a Mercury Prize nomination. What a year! Considering how much I loved "From the Cliffs" and the debut album, it is inconceivable that I didn't continue with this band. I enjoyed listening to these two inventive records so much this week that I am looking to pick up more.
In the end, of these five bands, those that have lived up to the hype take this round 3-2. Not bad. Do you agree? I may try one more round of these from 2004-2006 at the end of the week.
7 comments:
This is an interesting idea as a series- there's nothing as dated as the recent past and looked back at now the period c 2006 seems like a curious one for music, caught between the old ways (physical) and the new (streaming). I heard the Go team recently and thought I should pull their album out, that they sounded pretty good but I'm ready to be corrected on that. This is the 2nd time in a couple of days that CYHSY and Yellow Country Teeth has popped up and it definitely still hits the spot. Tapes n Tapes I'd forgotten about and like you could only recall Insistor and I don't think there's much to detain me there. The Pipettes I was never too fussed about but I am a fan of Gwenno and her solo records. I never took to Guillemots, don't think I ever really heard them partly because of the way they presented their name.
I'm intrigued by where this could go.
As a postscript, I used to use the Hype Machine daily. Haven't been on it for years now.
A great idea for a series Brian, one that I hope won't be as short as you indicate that it might be. This was a period when I was downloading tunes left right and centre (often under the direction The Hype Machine itself), constructing endless CDr & Minidisc compilations along the way. All the bands featured in this post (bar one - I never did get into The Go! Team) turned up on one or more of those compilations. Listening back through this lot in the cold light of 2020, I have to say that it's CYHSY that stand out above the rest for me. My goodness that guy really does sound like David Byrne doesn't he?
I echo Swede and Adam - this is a really good idea for a series. The Go Team are still going. They have become a little more polished, but still sound like the Go Team. Not bad, but the novelty has worn off for me.
You know I adore Gwenno, but the Pipettes passed me by, and the little I've heard by them hasn't convinced me to dive in.
I still have time for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah but they're now just a vehicle for their singer Alec Ounsworth. Their albums run hot and cold, but you still get a good tune or two on them.
Guillemots and Tapes 'n' Tapes were on my radar but I never bothered to venture beyond the odd track I heard.
Thanks for the encouragement, fellas. I do have at least another batch of 5-6 lined up in my head. I guess I didn't go beyond the first album with any of these bands except the Crayon Fields in the first installment. As Adam said, a funny time for music. That CYHSY album is really hitting the spot this week.
A lot of names new to me; but Stash Magnetic have got it going on. Bob Andrews from Generation X was doing something very similar at the arse end of the 90s/early 00s from his desert cabin in Joshua Tree.
For me, Julia was the one in the Pipettes who went on to greatness... as half of my favourite band of the 21st Century, The Indelicates.
Guillemots were a lovely lot too. I wish they'd gone on to greatness.
More of this please, Brian. (Sorry I'm so late to the party: I've been on self-imposed summer exile.)
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