 |
 |
|
||
 |
 |
BIRDS OF A FEATHER?
“Blood runs through your veins, that’s where our similarity ends”
We tend to think in pairs: opposites, synonyms, complements. Our eagerness to think of things comparatively leads to pairings that are more or less satisfying when it comes to relating and explaining similarities and/or differences. What kind of pairings could we try to establish among the groups of this year’s line-up? What kind of conclusions would such an exercise lead us to?
Let’s start with an intimidating trio of bands: a ménage à trios featuring The Futureheads, Editors and Echo & The Bunnymen – not an entirely outrageous proposition. They may be separated by almost two decades, but they share the same roots – that vibe that goes from post-punk to new wave, a vibe that has been kept in tact and alive by all these groups. Songs like “Munich” by Editors lead immediately to “Bring on the Dancing Horses” by Echo & The Bunnymen or “Hounds of Love” by The Futureheads, giving the catchy and luminous touch to the dark magnetic melancholy of the other two.
Another matrimonial possibility would be The Secret Society and Colder. It could be said that they both like the idea of subversive songs – songs that might not pull you in right away, yet songs that still ultimately win you over like “Sad Boys Dance When No One’s Watching” by The Secret Society and “Crazy Love” by Colder – songs that stand on their own.
An even crazier pairing would be Rufus Wainwright and Scissor Sisters. No, we cannot say that there are points of connection in their musical offerings, but at least they share a certain spectacular sense when it comes to conceiving their music. Rufus Wainwright is daring enough to use nothing less than Ravel’s Bolero as a base to create a song, whereas Scissor Sisters play with excess and falsettos in a formula that always produces hits. In short, both bring to their respective styles – Rufus representing the more crooner side of pop, Scissor Sisters the happy and catchy side of electronic music – a certain touch of the baroque, but very well done (since the word baroque on its own seems to inspire fear).
Another well-matched duo would be The Ordinary Boys and Madness. The former drink from the fountain of the The Jam, although they are also inspired by other more ska sounds as well. The winds and the groove of their song “Boys Will Be Boys”, for example, could perfectly pass as a Madness tune.
It gets much more difficult when you try to think who will go for what because in this case the terrain of personal tastes can influence more than the music itself when choosing between bands and being fans of Oasis or Blur. A duo such as the house of Green Velvet and the indie rock of Calla could be hand in glove or end up like water and oil – it all depends on whether we include them both or not in our discotheque.
And, as is always the case, the future of couples is unpredictable. It’s true that opposites attract, but they can also repel each other. Deep down inside, if we stop to think about it, any pair of groups that we compare will have something that relates them either by similarities or differences, or even a more oblique connection that only you are able to see. Because when you get right down to it, what really connects us with certain groups are personal feelings which are often hard to explain, especially when the music starts and we are rushing to get as close to the stage as possible. That’s where words and comparisons end and the experience begins.
Text: Silvia Terrón
NEWS
Miércoles, 20 de Agosto de 2008