Tuesday 23 November 2010



Here here, there there

QBiM SPiNS: Gamma Gamma Rays Beep

I guess the thing about indie rock that makes it most exciting can also be its Achilles heel, that being it’s baked-from-scratch, free-wheeling, unleashed reckless abandon that some bands commit to record as their opening statement of intent. So many times I’ve listen to what’s hyped as being the next “big thing” only to find myself covering my ears and contracting my face muscles to stop my brain from leaking out of exposed openings. It’s the next big thing alright, a thing that comes out your back side and should only be deposited in a lavatory.

Thankfully, Halifax’s Gamma Gamma Rays have more than enough skill and panache to keep their sometimes wildly careening songs from falling into a dissonant, derivative mess. There debut album, Beep, is a wickedly addictive chaos, a care-free celebration of scrappy tunes and perfectly choreographed effects. I truthfully didn’t expect to like this record as much as I do, as I likened their sound to that of Los Campesinos!, a band that–try as I might–I just can’t appreciate. Gamma Gamma Rays make it easy to love them, though, because they’re not trying so hard to be smart and über cool; heck, they don’t have to try, they just are.

The stand-out track for me is a delicious slice of DIY indie pop perfection called “Banks”, whose melody line seems to be in a race to the finish against itself. The male-female vocals spar against each other in a sexy fighting kind of way while a muted piano plinks along, trying to be heard over the dizzying din of guitars and choral “ahhs”.

So, I’m not clapping my hands to my head, but I am definitely clapping along to and in praise of Gamma Gamma Ray’s Beep. If you’re looking for a party record that’s not just a vacuous, empty receptacle of recycled ideas, then you’ve come to the right place.

Beep was released October 26 on Hot Money Records.

MP3: Gamma Gamma Rays “Roam”
Myspace: Gamma Gamma Rays
Twitter: Gamma Gamma Rays





by J. Di Gioia | Comments Off

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 at 8:35 am and is filed under MP3, QBiM SPiNS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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