Articles tagged with The Drums

The Drums – “How It Ended”

October 7, 2011
The Drums
The Drums‘ new album, Portamento, is out now, and it’s a worthy and awesome successor to the band’s outstanding past work. I was lucky enough to speak with singer Jonathan Pierce for the Georgia Straight (and also wrote a review).

See a faded, nostalgic video for the album closer “How It Ended” below. This wouldn’t have been my choice of single (how about any of the first three tracks?), but anything from these dudes rules.


 
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I want to buy you something

July 12, 2011
It was a really fucking comfortable couch
One of my favourite artists of 2010 has just announced a new album. The Drums will drop Portamento on September 12 via Island (in the UK, at least). Overly self-aware new wave aping aside, I still listen to the band’s self-titled debut a lot, so I’m pretty jazzed about this.

I wrote an Exclaim! story when the title leaked. Now, the single “Money” is here. It’s a little darker and more atmospheric than the band’s past work, but it’s still a buoyant and blissful pop tune, mainly thanks to the fact that it’s about a million BPM (give or take a few). It’s filled with gorgeous production touches: the synth plunks during the intro, the percussive vocal gasps, the cavernous kick drum at 2:21. I love this!


 
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I don’t care about nothing

October 9, 2010
Sweaters are soft
A few days ago, I saw the Drums and Surfer Blood when they came through Vancouver. Surfer Blood is great, but the Drums were clearly the better of the two. Read my review at Exclaim! to learn why.

Come to think of it, I also reviewed Surfer Blood a few months ago for BeatRoute, which was the last time that the band came through town.

Here’s the Drums’ “Let’s Go Surfing,” remixed by the Raveonettes. As you’d expect when the Raveonettes are involved, the song gets a shoegaze-y makeover, with searing electric guitars and a thick gauze of reverb. There’s a great new chord change around 2:36 that wasn’t in the original version, so watch out for that.

MP3: “Let’s Go Surfing (The Raveonettes Remix)”
 
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I’ll carry you all the way home

August 2, 2010
Technically, all four members are in this picture
I’ve been off-line for four days, hanging out by the lake in Nelson, BC. What have I missed? Is there a hip new social networking website yet?

Speaking out hanging out by a lake, here’s “Down by the Water” by the Drums. It’s a strange choice of single, given that it’s by far the slowest, saddest track on the band’s recently-released debut LP. Singer Jonathan Pierce goes into full crooner mode, making melodramatic promises of eternal love while his bandmates jangle gently behind him. It’s a much different side of the Drums than I’ve previously written about, but it’s interesting to hear them deviate from their usual bouncy beach pop sound.

Head to Exclaim! to read my article about the band’s upcoming tour with Surfer Blood.

MP3: “Down by the Water”
 
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Until our hearts are aligned into the sky

July 17, 2010
Three against one, we win
The Drums‘ “I Felt Stupid” was my jam this winter—ironic, I suppose, since it’s a distinctly summery tune.

The band recently released an awesome self-titled LP, which includes the jangly gem “Forever and Ever Amen.” Here’s a Thieves Like Us remix of the track, which relocates the beach-friendly original to a nightclub in Ibiza. With its techno beats and squelchy synths, this one is pure alcohol-fueled, sweat-dropping excess.

The original version of the song has a hilariously dorky video which you can watch here. The Drums are from Florida, but somehow this video makes me miss my family in England.

MP3: “Forever and Ever Amen (Thieves Like Us Remix)”
 
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I wanna hear every beat of your heart

January 3, 2010
The Drums slept with one another's girlfriends the night before
A new decade and still ’80s nostalgia appears to be in no danger of waning any time soon. Case in point: new wave-loving Brooklynites the Drums, who are shaping up to be one of the breakthrough bands of 2010.

The band has a steady buildup of buzz, thanks partly to the new single “I Felt Stupid.” The song is pure Robert Smith, from the jangly guitars right down to the faux British accent adopted by singer Jonathan Pierce. It’s anchored by an infectious electro pulse, but what really seals the deal is the euphoric chorus, Pierce’s voice rising in desperation as a he sings, “Stay with me / I wanna hear every beat of your heart.”

MP3: “I Felt Stupid”
 
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