Sunday, March 08, 2009

Fearless Vampire Killers - Fearless Vampire Killers

Hear The Track Here

First review request from my blog this month is a local (to me anyway) four piece band, who I am surprised I haven't noticed before seeing as they seem to hang out in the same places I do. Obviously, not that small a world eh? Mind you, I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to things vampiric (love the look and style, hate the fangs and blood) so it's a given that I'd be running in the opposite direction when faced with them - or their killers for that matter. Fearless Vampire Killers have three tracks on their Myspazz webpage but the title track itself is what I got bunged for review. No matter though, being nosy, I had to have a listen to all three and I definitely liked what I heard. Admittedly that's because I do particularly love the English way of making music, especially that trademark blend of rock and pop that the English are so good at.

Don't care how many lumps I'm going to take for this but when it comes to catchy rock based pop, nothing touches the UK, either in style or in execution. If I had been coming to this review blind I would have known - beyond all shadow of a doubt - that Fearless Vampire Killers were a live, gigging London band. There is something about the live music scene in London that forces bands to do it just that little bit better, London audiences are so blase, so seen-it-all-before you really have to work at both your compositions and your performance to raise them from their lethargy. Judging from the dire sounding, but great looking, videos on YouBoob Fearless Vampire Killers are probably a very decent live band too.

There is more than a touch of The Clash about Fearless Vampire Killers (the track, not the band) but that isn't true of their whole output, the other two tracks on their page show that. Nonetheless it was that Clash-like quality that first caught my ear, before the sheer quality of the songwriting, production and arrangement knocked me for six. Fact is, this is a track that just screams serious radio play and is commercially as viable as anything out there online or off it. Moreover, coming in at just three minutes, Fearless Vampire Killers is what I would call perfect pop in every respect - albeit in a kinda/sorta punky style. Much more to the point, it develops much more once you've played it often enough to be familiar with it and that shows this is a song with legs - it will last. If there is any justice, this should be played on the Beeb, this instant! Damn, that might even get me to listen to establishment radio again.

MUST HAVE perfect pop.

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