Substance over Style - Surely some mistake!?
Remember post rock? You know? Angsty! Ballsy! Indie! With snare drums, a military bent and brass from the pre Mark Ronson era!! Most of us signed up before we grew up and out of it, just another music mag trend the cool kids loved.
Only I don't think The Strange Death of Liberal England would ever be described as the cool kids. I saw TSDoLE (can't pad the word count too much) support Editors last year and their stage presence reminded me a little bit like people forced to go on stage, all awkward movement and woeful interaction between songs, almost befitting the genre.
So no style then, but plenty of substance. 'Come on You Young Philosophers' is a fantastic call to arms that seems to encapsulate the entire post rock genre (see opening) without plagiarising any one part of it, with the Portsmouth band welding together the best devices to build a tight but chaotic 4 minute dose of optimism and maybe (wishfully) break new ground with a radio friendly song. There's more of a nod towards Arcade Fire and if it was them releasing this, the radio presenters you hate would be all over this.
A new drummer was drafted in last year and David Lindsey's work propels the song forward before taking a step back on the other track, 'Sometimes I Just Need You'. A twisted lovesong which goes at a more introspective pace, Will Charlton's Ian Curtis-esque vocals being chorused by bandmate Kelly Jones (not that one), the female voice complementing him perfectly and really works on this type of track. Ever optimistic, the song ends with "I'll see you when the sun shines" on repeat.
Optimistic is really the best way to describe them. They're almost apologetically upbeat and that contradiction is one of their many strengths. Post rock may be the unattractive wallflower but maybe after this, it might spark something of a revival.