The Author - TAXI (Single)
A band’s seal of approval since the late, great John Peel sadly departed from us 3 long years ago is no longer clean cut. Who do we now look to for guidance and exposure to the weird and wonderful sounds of the world?
The next best thing has got to be the discerning ear and dulcet tones of Steve Lamacq (or Lammo to his mates), providing us with aural delights himself now for well over a decade, and now proudly sitting as the only voice of reason on Radio 1 as well as the captain of a great team at Radio 6 music. If Lammo labels you as his ‘favourite demo of the year’ you are definitely on to something, ploughing as he must through the trillions he gets every week.
The Klaxons are name-checked in the press release and this is no surprise, ‘Taxi’ bearing more than a close resembelance to the already classic ‘Atlantis to Interzone’. The bass pounds round in the same irresistibly circular fashion while dirty synths and tinny guitar give the suitable art-rock credentials.
Not dismissing ‘The Author’ as mere copycat scenesters however, this is pretty darn good (for a first try).
The vocals and lyrics are more honest than their counterparts from across the water that effectively cuts off the Channel Islands from any music scene whatsoever. The spacey, reflective break/chorus is full of emotion “I remember all I used to” which goes hand in hand with some quality cryptic nonsense “Taxis and tinkers the world’s greatest thinkers/we live in the whites of their eyes!!”. Its all good (plus the yelled ‘TAXI!!’ sounds remarkably like ‘SEXY!!’ if you are not concentrating).
Like his mentor Peel, Lamacq’s patronage is not always a guarantee of greatness but is a sure sign of something interesting.
Keep an eye on them..