Polock are Spanish but write the kind of indie that became endemic in England between about 2004 and 2008: vocal-led; about the pub, about chips; lots of jangly guitars: real guys, having a lark. There’s no NME-suited stuff going on here anymore…generally, but coming from a different geographical place entirely anyway, Polock were unlikely to have ever been party to it.
I write about ‘Fireworks’ today, simply because it is a gorgeous day here in London. The sun is out and its mild warmth brightens the trees and city skyscrapers. Specifically, if you go around listening to ‘Fireworks’ in that sort of primed environment, it will be hard (rest assured) to break into a contented smile, or at the very teeniest, a strutting step to the melody. There is an excellent melody to this song you see, even if you can’t tell what the Valencian dude is saying, which I’m sure most people can’t.
Oddly, it is difficult to find much about the band, which is a great shame. Their album ‘Getting Down From the Trees’ is a stomping straight indie number. Much like The Wombats, much like Vampire Weekend (check out ‘Nightshot’ and ‘Sometimes’ for the obvious comparison), much like Sweden’s Shout Out Louds, the songs creep under your nails, into your tissue and through your system, sounding so clearly inoffensive that it would rarely be noticed.
The interesting question is where we stand now with music like this. Where is mainstream indie? Perhaps I am out of touch, but are people out there still listening to the radio? Has anything happened to the commercial centre ground?
I write about ‘Fireworks’ today, simply because it is a gorgeous day here in London. The sun is out and its mild warmth brightens the trees and city skyscrapers. Specifically, if you go around listening to ‘Fireworks’ in that sort of primed environment, it will be hard (rest assured) to break into a contented smile, or at the very teeniest, a strutting step to the melody. There is an excellent melody to this song you see, even if you can’t tell what the Valencian dude is saying, which I’m sure most people can’t.
Oddly, it is difficult to find much about the band, which is a great shame. Their album ‘Getting Down From the Trees’ is a stomping straight indie number. Much like The Wombats, much like Vampire Weekend (check out ‘Nightshot’ and ‘Sometimes’ for the obvious comparison), much like Sweden’s Shout Out Louds, the songs creep under your nails, into your tissue and through your system, sounding so clearly inoffensive that it would rarely be noticed.
The interesting question is where we stand now with music like this. Where is mainstream indie? Perhaps I am out of touch, but are people out there still listening to the radio? Has anything happened to the commercial centre ground?
Polock - Fireworks by Mushroom Pillow
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