You know that scene in movies, when you are either inspired, or bored/annoyed. It might not happen to others as much as it happens to me, but I know there are some scenarios in movies that will have me in awe done one way, and really get to me when done the other way. For instance, I saw Taxi Driver just a while ago, and for those of you who haven't seen it, it's remarkably bleak. Not bad, just bleak. It chronicles a psycho taxi driver in New York who accidentaly lands himself the title of public hero; an intention he doesn't strive for or care about. Not only is the movie filled with violence and scummy characters, but the main character doesn't ever really find anything happy throughout the whole movie. Anyways, this movie that would bore many people to death (or in the least scare them) was really poetically beautiful to me. To me, the movie is one of the realest movies ever. Not as in live action, but in the sense of genuinley capturing human reaction; taking a snapshot of what would really happen. The movie is gritty, but so is life. Some people are for, some people are against the Scorsese classic.
I know there are bands who affect people the same way. There is a distinct border between teenagers and grown adults between Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. These New Puritans aren't like that though. They are not as simple as a hit or miss with various groups of people. No, These New Puritans have an artistic depth surpassing most other bands in the world. They have managed to look past traditional, and honestly invent their sound. The band takes ominous darkened tones from an orchestra and sets them to modern day metallic drum beats as precise as the drummers in the 2008 Bejing Olympics opening ceremony. I mean, how many times have you heard those two genres of music even be discussed by the same people. This band is truly pioneering their way into relevance, one album at a time.
The quartet from Southend, England formed in their early youth in 2006. The lead singer of the band was known to play shows wearing shirts buttoned all the way up to his neck. To me, that makes you weird, but in the fashion world, that is a stroke of brilliance. A Christian Dior fashion designer asked him to make a piece that was showcased in some Paris fashion show. I don't get it, but i've never been huge on fashion since my brief stint as a model for Osh Kosh B'gosh at the age of five. Yes, it's true. I graced the pages of Old Navy's fall catalogue Fall of 95' in the most adorable corduroy overalls since 1994. Go look for it. The band promptly returned to their music and laid down an EP, Now Pluvial in 2007, and releasing their first album, Beat Pyramid, in March 2008. The band had a jolly old time touring England and put together their second full length album about a month ago called Hidden.
Hidden does not contain songs that follow the general thought of what a song might be. Much like Animal Collective and Radiohead, These New Puritans create lush military soundscapes that may not be terribly catchy, but still stick in your head. If you really want to put a label on the band, I suppose one would jump to punk, but you've got to know, they are so much more than that. "Time Xone", the album opener, is a sleek horn fugue that lays an initial theme to play throughout the album. The song is dark and brooding, but with a few powerful swells of joy and even progress in the cracks. That's right, the horns honestly manipulate the sound of progress. The simple song just repeats itself three or four times before blissfully closing itself off. This starting point is crucial to the momentum of the album. Instead of letting everything storm the gates right off the bat, "Time Xone" is the thoughts a soldier ponders before battle.
Time for battle. The meat of the album is in the the war-driven power beats, constantly playing as gun-fire over the beautifully dissonant murmurs of the orchestra. Picture the battle of Gettysburg; the pain and suffering blasting from each musket in and out of rhythm, while the beautiful Pennsylvania country side is stained with blood and tears. The systematic drum beats try and try to cover up the out-standing orchestration, but repeatedly fail. "We Want War", "Attack Music", "Orion", and "Drum Courts-Where Corals Lie" all fill their violent names in this sense. The best song on the album, "Fire Power", utilizes a robotic scuttle beat, like a brush kit on crack, and just pumps you up. "Im in the fire, fire fire" is repeatedly recited, sticking in the listeners head and setting a picture of hell and war and death with tremendous aggresion, when eventually "Time Xone" plays in the back, until everything fades but the original theme. The effect swept me off my feet when I had the chance to sit down and let this music affect me.
This music, for me, is scary it is so inspiring. Not only have These New Puritans managed to make and honest sound, a new thought in the ever blanding/cloning modern music, but their music is fantastic. The album may not be the most pleasurable, but it is original to the bone, which makes it so fascinating. I find the music to be out-standing, but I can easily see it not being liked by a vast majority of patience. After all, it takes patience and on open mind, something most people can't manage these days. These New Puritans are dangerously good.
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