Ready for another trip down memory lane? Back in February this year we took the tenth anniversary of the FRANZ FERDINAND debut album as a cause to look a bit closer on ten almost forgotten bands of the whole ‘indie’ segment. A really enjoyable rediscovery of some long forgotten artists who not always deserved to be left out. So, we from NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION thought: ‘Why not doing it again?’ And this time we decided to focus on the songs. Especially on some great ones.
Most of you might remember the hits from that era. And by ‘hits’ we mean the all-embracing ‘anthems’ of these years. Somebody Told Me, Take Me Out, Time For Heroes, Apply Some Pressure, Last Nite, Oh My God – far too many to mention, that is for sure. And although most of you also remember the big players of that special momentum in music history not everybody can combine the smaller hits with its artists. You might remember the song, but can you also recall the band behind it? It’s quite a challenge and not always a statement about the music’s quality as well.
So, this list is far from being ultimate or overarching. It’s just a friendly reminder on ten great tunes that somehow got lost somewhere on the way of becoming evergreens. For us they are. And maybe for you too. Take a trip back to the ‘Noughties’ right here on the following pages
01. Dirty Pretty Things – ‘Deadwood’
It’s not always about Pete. When the Mr. Doherty’s drug habits forced THE LIBERTINES to part ways his musical companion Carl Barât needed to relocate his genius somewhere else. DIRTY PRETTY THINGS was the name of his follow-up project which only released two albums before parting ways again. One aspect might have been the lack of quality, the more important one could have been the lack of success. At least the debut album had some (dirty) pretty moments. The rough opener Deadwood is its finest.
02. Maritime – ‘Parade Of Punk Rock Shirts’
In contrast to most of the other bands here, Wisconsin-based MARITIME are still around these days. They might even work on the follow-up to their 2011 album Human Hearts. The group around Davey van Bohlen was always one of the nicer ones. Kind of ironic as we choose a song with the word ‘punk’ in its title. But it’s a really groovy and joyful piece that will instantly bring a smile on your face. It’s taken off the 2006 album We, The Vehicles which is easily the band’s best one.
03. The Automatic – ‘Recover’
Welsh band THE AUTOMATIC were really one of those bands that came out of nothing, provided a hand-full of fitting indie-club hits and vanished. Well, officially they haven’t split up. But they didn’t released anything in four years and are currently quite busy with other projects. Monster might have been the more famous ‘hit’ by them, Recover is the better one.
04. The Dead 60s – ‘Riot Radio’
Some of the best anthems in an indie club can be politically motivated. Just ask THE CLASH. THE DEAD 60s have been clearly influenced by Joe Strummer and his band as they perfectly mixed ska, punk, indie, reggae and other genres into an energetic mixture. Riot Radio is the perfect proof.
05. The Enemy – ‘Away From Here’
To be fair… THE ENEMY aren’t an unknown and forgotten band. Well, at least not in their home country. The band from Coventry still got a solid following in the UK, their most recent album Streets In The Sky cracked the Top 10 back in 2012. But somehow they never really made it outside the UK. Raising the rhetoric question ‘Can a band be too British?’ Away From Here is still an indestructible anthem with the simple and timeless message of a troubled working class kid.
06. Late of the Pier – “Heartbeat”
Remember when ‘nu rave’ was a thing around 2007? Well, at least everybody tried to make it a big thing back then. The results were questionable and the hype vanished quicker than it came. But it still produced a handful of catchy club tunes. LATE OF THE PIER’s Heartbeat was such a track. And the clip was also highly entertaining. The last sign of life – according to their Facebook page – was the announcement of an announcement back in early 2013. Well, alright.
07. The Stills – ‘Still In Love Song’
Canadian indie-rock band THE STILLS only lastest three albums. They parted ways in 2011 after winning the acclaimed Juno Awards in their home country and supporting the KINGS OF LEON as well. Talking about bad career planning. We can still highly recommend their 2003 debut Logic Will Break Your Heart and its joyful indie/wave tunes. Still In Love Song was the lead single of this record.
08. Louis XIV – ‘Finding Out True Love Is Blind’
Did anybody noticed that American indie-rock band LOUIS XIV reunited last year after a four-year-long hiatus? Probably not. It’s one of these bands were you find yourself saying things like ‘Oh yes, I remember the name’ or ‘There rings a bell.’ But when it comes to name actual music it gets harder. Finding Out True Love Is Blind is one of their finer moments. Maybe the time is right for the comeback so that people will more likely say ‘Oh, these guys’ in the future.
09. The Sunshine Underground – ‘Put You In Your Place’
Even more ‘nu rave’ right here. But what other sort of music can you do when you name your band THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND? Well, besides psychedelic shoegaze or something like that. The Leeds-based band is still around although never having big success. Put You In Your Place is still a banging club tune in the style of THE RAPTURE. Floorfilling madness.
10. The Revs – ‘Time Slippin”
A song about the slipping of time might be the perfect way to end this little list. This one has been released back in 2005, shortly before Irish indie rockers THE REVS parted ways. Before this they also hat decent success, scoring Top 10 albums and singles in their home country. Frontman Rory Gallagher (no, not THE famous blues guitarist) is still a quite active figure in the music scene of Ireland. He looks like the guy who’s up for a spontaneous Guinness.
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