Plenty of Music For Your Quids
‘Not Doing It For The Quids’, as the name suggests, is an album that showcases the acts that devoted indie label Full Time Hobby have released since their creation in 2004. The bands are mostly reasonably well-known names these days, albeit ones that you might have heard of rather than actually heard; it’s hard to tell whether this proves that the label have exceptional talent for picking groups without a range of lesser acts to compare it to but it’s a nice mix all the same.
Tuung’s ‘Take’ is a good opener, kicking in with half a minute of creepy, building ambient sound before the delicate fierce folk tune emerges, ready to enchant you with disconcerting electro sounds twisted into the pretty melody. There’s a touch of woozy country with rising star Micah P. Hinson but White Denim soon break the record out of that soothing lull with full-on, frantic indie rock with brash percussion and angry electro intermissions.
Malcolm Middleton’s ‘A Brighter Beat’ • probably one of his strongest and most mainstream tunes • keeps the pace up with its gloomy Scottish charm and driving rhythm, before a little melancholy meander with The Accidental’s violin-backed reveries. The Hold Steady’s glorious, ‘Little Hoodrat Friend’ makes a change from their slightly overplayed recent releases and is a euphoric snippet of the band’s high-powered guitar rock.
Viva Voce add more wispy indie thrills with snappy beats and happy vibes imploring you to, “keep your head up, things are alright”, and then LA’s Autolux’s round the album off nicely with slightly trippy rough electro rock.
Full Time Hobby manage to prove that they have boosted the careers of some pretty cool artists, while also compiling and album that’s infinitely listenable and enjoyable and might give you a few new names to check out.