BAD VEINS- The mess we've made Is nothing safe from the Olympics at the moment? Even Bad Veins have a connection to them. One of their songs is featured as part of the soundtrack to a Sky TV documentary about the British track team. A bit of a vague connection, granted, but one that they obviously thought important enough to put in their biog above the fact that their live set features a vintage megaphone, a rotary telephone and a reel-to-reel called Irene and they recorded their this, their second album, in a former church. This all makes the Cincinnati duo sound more diverse than they actually are. Because, as the follow up to their self-titled US debut in 2009, 'The mess we've made' is pure indie/rock/pop, ie mainstream enough for the Olympics but just enough mojo thrown in to make it enjoyable.
It comes as no surprise that Bad Veins are supporting
We are Scientists on their forthcoming UK tour then. They are of a
similar ilk; catchy, heavy on the bass in places, bit mathy at times
though with melodies reminiscent of Weezer, The Rentals or Phantom
Planet (in fact, singer Benjamin Davis very much adds to this comparison).
Though there aren't any stand-out tracks here, album opener and single
'Don't run' sets a nice pace, while the mix of anthemic strings ('Doubt'),
the driving beats courtesy of Sebastien Schultz ('Child') and the
sweet sentiment of 'I turn around' ('Will you remember me if we meet
again a long time from now? If I catch up with you somehow?') makes
for predictable pop but of a finer variety than, say, Ed Sheeran who
I was forced to watch at the Hackney Weekend recently. My God, it
was the worst thing I ever saw. Which prompts me to beg that some
real bands start getting more attention than someone who spends half
an hour giving the crowd a singing lesson and saying 'hell yeah' by
way of entertainment. It goes without saying that Bad Veins might
be pop but provide a far more pleasurable sing-a-long than the people's
choice. They deserve at least a silver medal for that fact alone.
And another for being more interesting than the 100m sprint. Not that
that's hard either. Anna C |