This Is the New – Art/Goes/Pop label sampler

This Is the New – Art/Goes/Pop label sampler

Chris George

Ah the label sampler – like an even more self-involved mix CD, the self-promotion and flitting between various bands provides extremely inconsistent results. Fellow music-lovers; Art/Goes/Pop have decided to bestow upon us four bands, two tracks apiece…

The Low Miffs’ two tunes are jaunty, energetic ditties – “Earl Grey” is interesting, with its tempo rising and falling, moving from laid-back verses building up seamlessly into an earnest chorus full of discordant guitar stabs. Title track “This Is the New” is a lot more conventional: bouncy carchy indie-pop with vocals extremely similar to Paul “Maximo Park” Smith. They’re nice, but they’re not going to set your world on fire.

Next we have Heads We Dance, an electro quartet who are, frankly, pretty dull. “Love in the Digital Age” sounds like a bad rip-off of Daft Punk’s benign low-points with poor-imitation Alex Kapranos vocals. “Valmont Blues” is a little better and adds a bit more of a rock & roll edge on very Gary Numan-esque electro, but still isn’t very good. It all feels pretty inconsequential.

Regional accent vocals are de rigueur nowadays and Popup’s lovely Scottish tones are really quite sweet. Of course “sweet” and “good” aren’t mutually inclusive, but Popup’s acoustic-led “Lucy, What You Trying to Say” and fast-paced “In Her Day” are both energetic, catchy indie tunes and whilst they’re not the most inventive thing you’ve ever heard, it really is genuinely enjoyable.

Shambolic, scratchy, full-speed-ahead synth-rock – Stinky Munchkins could be considered an acquired taste. Strutting synths, grinding basslines and dirty guitars: it’s like The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem in a violent glam-disco. A crueller critic than yours truly might make a comparison to The Bravery, but then Stinky Munchkins are good. Honest.

All in all, Art/Goes/Pop has got some decent bands signed up – this sampler’s not great as an overall CD, but it’s worth checking out some of these bands.