Heartbeat
Switch on the radio, leave it on for a while and get back to your daily chores. Startling isn’t it? No, not how much the talentless Chris Moyles is being paid. Between the news and constant advert breaks you can fathom that the songs being played sound as bland as a lettuce sandwich. As if the imaginative riffs were used up by 1979 and all that defines a band these days is a catchy chorus and a few tabloid headlines.
Late of The Pier aim to change all this listlessness. If you thought Klaxons were baffling, you may want to lie down after hearing Heartbeat. Starting with poncy synths reminiscent of embarrassingly camp 80s pop, the vocals are robotic and lavishly Gary Numan esque before finishing on some refreshing noodle rock. Sure, the song may not pick up an Ivor Novello but at least shows some adventure and more imagination than most of the dross currently being offered.
By throwing together a mélange of genres for a distinctive, if giddily chaotic, sound you never quite know which direction the song will go next. Or indeed what decade they are taking inspiration from. Which leads you to wonder, why can’t other bands take note and take a chance.