Review: Bombay Bicycle Club
By Amrit Thind
Monday 2nd November 2009
Monday 2nd November 2009
When my friend introduced me to Bombay Bicycle Club, the first thoughts that came to mind were along the lines of “oh no, not another weird Indian band… surely a bizarre mix of Bollywood and electro music, that seems to be in these days… I could do with some chicken curry right now.” However, upon listening to the song he suggested on Spotify – such a useful little program – “Sixteen”, I found myself pleasantly surprised. This was not some high-pitched lady with an accent violating my auditory system; instead sweet guitars and slick drums came to greet me, shortly after accompanied by paradoxically whingy vocals. It is a paradox because this was not the annoying, grinding, stereotype of whinging one knows and despises – much more, this sounded like a boy stuck in the middle of puberty, his voice not quite broken; yet he knows how to use it and make it work with the guitar and drums, turning the usual whine of pubescent lads into an upbeat, cheery singsong, and it is a whine nonetheless; in other words, the perfect complement to a new, upcoming indie rock band.
Bombay Bicycle Club consists of four boys, Jack Steadman (lead vocals, guitar), Jamie MacColl (lead guitar, backing vocals), Suren de Saram (drums, backing vocals) and Ed Nash (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals). They have been playing together since the age of 15 and, needless to say have come a long way, performing at festivals such as Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, The Edge in Edinburgh and the second Underage Festival.
Admittedly, “Sixteen” was so catchy I found myself committing the fatal flaw of listening to the track over and over again, until finally, I could listen to it no more. This was not a problem however, as Bombay Bicycle Club has a variety of grand and great songs to engage in. “Always Like This” with its catchy lyrics came to be the newest addiction, followed closely by “How Are You” with a fantastically simple and sly bass line. “The Hill” was next – MacColl’s arpeggio guitar riffs serenely serenading to my ear.
The four musicians have a knack for twisting funky drums with smooth guitars and perfectly fusing Steadman’s absurd voice over the instrumentals. The result is a sound you will find yourself humming along to, singing in your head, and tapping along with your foot. It is safe to say, in an indie world dominated by the similar if not identically sounding bands far and wide, Bombay Bicycle Club manage to slightly stick out from the crowd.
Not to say that Bombay Bicycle Club does not deserve any criticism. As it is with most bands, it is inevitable that repetitiveness creeps into their music. Sadly too, at times it is not possible to escape the whine that is Steadman’s singing – this makes Bombay Bicycle Club’s great strength their kryptonite at the same time. However, these flaws are severely outweighed by the vitality and vigour put into the music; Bombay Bicycle Club does not succumb to its flaws.
The debut album “I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose” hit the stores early July 2009. It is definitely an album worth listening in on. Oh Spotify, we adore you so.
Bombay Bicycle Club consists of four boys, Jack Steadman (lead vocals, guitar), Jamie MacColl (lead guitar, backing vocals), Suren de Saram (drums, backing vocals) and Ed Nash (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals). They have been playing together since the age of 15 and, needless to say have come a long way, performing at festivals such as Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, The Edge in Edinburgh and the second Underage Festival.
Admittedly, “Sixteen” was so catchy I found myself committing the fatal flaw of listening to the track over and over again, until finally, I could listen to it no more. This was not a problem however, as Bombay Bicycle Club has a variety of grand and great songs to engage in. “Always Like This” with its catchy lyrics came to be the newest addiction, followed closely by “How Are You” with a fantastically simple and sly bass line. “The Hill” was next – MacColl’s arpeggio guitar riffs serenely serenading to my ear.
The four musicians have a knack for twisting funky drums with smooth guitars and perfectly fusing Steadman’s absurd voice over the instrumentals. The result is a sound you will find yourself humming along to, singing in your head, and tapping along with your foot. It is safe to say, in an indie world dominated by the similar if not identically sounding bands far and wide, Bombay Bicycle Club manage to slightly stick out from the crowd.
Not to say that Bombay Bicycle Club does not deserve any criticism. As it is with most bands, it is inevitable that repetitiveness creeps into their music. Sadly too, at times it is not possible to escape the whine that is Steadman’s singing – this makes Bombay Bicycle Club’s great strength their kryptonite at the same time. However, these flaws are severely outweighed by the vitality and vigour put into the music; Bombay Bicycle Club does not succumb to its flaws.
The debut album “I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose” hit the stores early July 2009. It is definitely an album worth listening in on. Oh Spotify, we adore you so.