What’s that? You’ve never heard of Grouplove? But they came 10th — TENTH! — in NME’s list of the hottest new bands of 2010. Yes, that NME.
The not-all-past-its-prime, totally hip and zeitgeist savvy,
trendsetting little zine out of the UK. You know... the one with Oasis
on the cover.
Never Trust a Happy Song is the debut full-length from L.A.
indie-poppers Grouplove, and I’m afraid to say it makes for a pretty
dreadful listen. It starts well enough. Although lyrically totally
nonsensical, Itching On a Photograph is a vaguely infectious
sing-clap-and-whoop-along in the style of The Killers, The Thrills, and
Modest Mouse. Okay, so it sounds dated. Seth Cohen was listening to this
sort of thing back in 2003. But it’s tuneful enough. Definitely
proficient. From there on in, however, it’s pretty much downhill all the
way. The more you listen, the worse it gets. And not just in terms of
the songwriting either. Never Trust a Happy Song is unremittingly
hyperactive. There’s only so much of this relentlessly bland,
super-duper sincere, happy-clappy drivel a man can take. It’s like being
bludgeoned over the head with a massive piece of indie-pop candy cane.
And it makes you wonder: who or what is this music actually for?
...For my totally incisive and incredibly well expressed answer to that question read on here
