The Maccabees - 'Love You Better'
A year or so ago, there were a few bands around who seemed to have all simultaneously hit upon the idea of playing scratchy guitars with no sustain, and making tricksy little twiddles instead of great big power chords. They also preferred to hiccup their lyrics rather than project outwards like Susan Boyle does. Out from the shadow of Bloc Party's smart-indie success they came: Foals, Good Shoes, the Rakes, Mumm-Ra...and this lot. All ploughing similar furrows, but each with their own personality.
(Forgive the massive generalisation, by the way, it's not like there was an actual scene, or at least, not one with a name. It's just funny how a lot of indie bands sounded broadly similar at broadly the same time. Synchronicity, it's called.)
The Maccabees, for example, were by some distance the most romantic of the bunch. Their songs weren't about people from the suburbs trying to make it in the big city, they were about tiny little stolen smooches, or the fear of mucking up a new love by rushing it.
And then there's Orlando Weeks's voice, which always sounds impossibly serious and trembly, as if he's choking back tears as he sings...even on the happy songs.
(, in which the band are made visually interesting by effects.)
If all this sounds like your cup of tea, and you've not heard the Maccabees before, can I assure you that this is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Their sound, while slightly more polished this time around - there are trumpets! - hasn't changed much, and there's really no reason why it would.
Once again we've got twiddly guitars, we've got hiccupy voices, and we've got sobbing Orlando promising eternal love in a un-aroused but massively romantic way. We've got a band who arrange their songs meticulously, and who know that expressing simple emotions well is often more complicated than it seems.
Best of all, we've got a chorus in which a desperate Orlando pleads "I will love you better" five times, with little but a ghostly harmony for company, and it is just lovely.
I tell ya, the second Foals album is going to have to be AMAZING to top this...
Download: Out now
CD Released: April 27th
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 21st Apr 2009, doyleysbottomlip wrote:Deserves 5 stars cant wait for the album!
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Comment number 2.
At 22nd Apr 2009, spirit wrote:Very likeable song with a great Arcade Fire feel to it.... very reminiscent of "NO CARS GO ".......
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Comment number 3.
At 22nd Apr 2009, spirit wrote:Aha, they have used Arcade Fire's producer Markus Dravs ... that explains the similarity.. do feel the last minute of this song is especially good.
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Comment number 4.
At 23rd Apr 2009, thranjax wrote:This song is lovely. The way the singer's voice has been morphed into the Arcade Fire is a little distracting if anything but the whole thing is excellent nonetheless. It has an ethereal quality which reminded me of Felt, no less.
The instrumental guitar part on the break is very pretty and the song in general builds up to a rousing conclusion. Song structure! Meaningful lyrics about the human condition which you can follow! Who'd have thought it in this Day and
Age?
Thranjax
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Comment number 5.
At 28th Apr 2009, spirit wrote:I am hearing this song everywhere at the moment.. and it is one of those songs that the more I hear it... the more I LIKE IT ... a real grower..
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Comment number 6.
At 28th Apr 2009, spirit wrote:Now Jo Wylie has just played it , it sounded fantastic ! again !........ could well be a top 40 hit. (not sure if they have had one before )
Anyway fingers crossed... this song does it for me !
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Comment number 7.
At 3rd May 2009, spirit wrote:Brilliant a hit !
WALL OF ARMS
out tomorrow !
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