Review: Yves Klein Blue - Draw Attention To Themselves EP

Yves Klein Blue's Draw Attention To Themselves EP has been one of the most anticipated local releases since they signed to Dew Process last year. The four-piece have managed to almost live up to the surrounding hype with a strong first offering that, while faltering at times, shows signs of a real powerhouse of a band in the making.

Yves Klein Blue's debut EP is full of unabashed pop stylings, a fact emphasised by the first minute of opening track 'Blasphemy'. Musically the tracks starts of by utilising the 'world music' rhythm and blues of artists such as Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon (very much like recent critic darlings Vampire Weekend have done). The sound doesn't sit well with the slightly off-kilter vocals of designated frontman Michael Tomlinson, yet at the precise moment that the listener notices the opposing forces at work the distortion kicks in and 'Blasphemy' turns into a blistering garage-pop tune a la The Libertines. From the get go it's obvious how tight Yves Klein Blue are as a band. Tomlinson's and Charles Sale's guitar lines twist around each other without ever clashing, while the backline of bassist Sean Cook and drummer Chris Banham keep things from veering of into chaos.

'Not What I Want' is an upbeat number drawing to mind the songs of early-80s Elvis Costello. Cook's bass keeps the track bouncing around the room, while Sale throws in a pretty decent guitar solo. Its Tomlinson's vocals and lyrics that come to the fore however. While they can teeter on the edge of being overdone from time to time, the lyrics are more often insightful, quick and sharp, ("The institution requires/That every mind can be just what it desires and that/Every mind will desire much the same thing") and are perfectly supplemented by Tomlinson's colourful vocals.

'19' is a slower number, shuffling along with piano and brush snare. Unfortunately the track feels a little overproduced. The song sees the band attempting to pull to many tricks at once and what could have been a excellent Beatlesque pop number, combining upbeat melodies with melancholic lyrics, unfortunately becomes an exercise in mediocrity. Fortunately 'Silence Is Distance' returns the energy to the EP. Another Strokes/Libertines-aping rocker (albeit one that manages to sound quite original), the song is a sees Tomlinson spitting and howling throughout ("If you come any nearer/I'll only be a mirror for your spite") while Sale sprays the song with screeching, distorted riffs.

The second last track is 'Polka', a perfect little pop number which sounds, funnily enough, like a polka. The band has honed the track down to the point where even the most cynical of listeners will feel the urge to dance along. The EP ends with '(a bookend)', which as the title suggests is basically a coda to the EP. The piano and percussion piece is essentially irrelevant, and while such filler could be passed of were this an album, however on an EP, especially one which has already delivered 5 decent songs, it's entirely unnecessary. But don't let that sour note influence you. Yves Klein Blue have pieced together an EP that delivers 5 worthwhile pop gems, most of which are sure to get you jumping around the room when no one is looking.

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Weekly News - 25th March

Not much happening this week, but seeing as I'm endavouring to keep this somewhat weekly I guess i should write something. So for posterity's sake I'll give you a rundown of local releases to expect in April. As I mentioned in the previous article Yves Klein Blue are launching their debut EP on the 5th. Valve Records are also upping the ante with a trio of releases. Del Toro's Hydra LP, Do The Robot's Amp On Fire LP, and An Horse's Not Really Scared EP will all come out on the local imprint in April. Transport, who've been overseas for the last 12 months, will also release their first album, The Inner Chimp. Wind&Brackets are also planning on dropping their as yet untitled debut EP, and, if you're in the vicinity of Paris, see if you can get hold of Scul Hazzards debut LP, Let Them Sink.

And don't forget to check out The Rational Academy's A Heart Against Your Own, after a couple of listens I'd have to say it's probably my favourite album of 2008 so far.

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Yves Klein Blue - Polka

Everyones favourite purveyors of "gypsy jazz" seem to be the next Brisbane band to hit the big time (or maybe medium time, I don't know). The band have had a pretty successful week, supporting The Vines in New York, playing at SXSW Festival, and now releasing the video for 'Polka'. The video itself looks good (it reminded me of INXS for some reason), however I'm working on dial-up speed at the moment and i only saw the first 20 seconds. Either way, Yves Klein Blue have just finished recording their debut album 'Draw Attention To Themselves' which is set to be released April 5th.

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Weekly News - March 17th

• Yves Klein Blue and Chris Pickering are representing Brisbane at SXSW in Austin, Texas this week. Hopefully the guys do well for themselves.
  

• The Gin Club have released their latest album, a double LP by the name of Junk. Keep an eye out for a review in the near future.

• Garage-punk's Feelin' Lucky have released their debut, self-titled LP with local label Swashbuckling Hobo.

• Freshly recorded tracks: The Combovers' 'The Hard Part', Idle|Cranes take on The Beatles' 'Blue Jay Way', and The Presidents Bush provide us with 'Blue Skies Away' and 'Hair Plugs'.
  

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Weekly News - November 30th

New segment coming at y'all! This one's fairly self-explanatory.

• Post-punk revivalists Yves Klein Blue have signed to Brisbane's foremost independent record label, Dew Process. Apparently the label was attracted by Yves Klein Blue's "clashy blend of classic pop, old punk, gypsy jazz and indie rock." Personally I'm a little skeptical about Yves Klein Blue's "gypsy jazz" origins, but you can find out for yourself December 11th when the band plays The Zoo alongside The Grates, Dr Dog, and Whitley for the Dew Process Xmas Party.

• Virgin has announced the first lineup for 2008's V Festival. The list is short but sweet, including luminaries like Smashing Pumpkins, Jesus And Mary Chain, Queens of the Stone Age, Duran Duran, and Air. Unfortunately the only Australian acts announced are Sydney's The Presets, and Melbourne's Plug In City, so fingers crossed some Brisbane acts fit into the final lineup. The local leg of the tour occurs March 30th on the Gold Coast, with tickets on sale next Thursday.

• December is a month of birthday celebrations for Brisbane's musical institutions. 4ZzZ is in line for a mid-life crisis at 32, while The Zoo ups the ante with some teen angst 15 years after they opened their doors. Both 4ZzZ and The Zoo will be holding shows to celebrate so keep an eye on Cam's gig recommendations.

• Local folk-poppers Rialto Decibal Choir are set to drop their debut release, The Parade EP, in January next year. Head over to their MySpace page to check out the first offering from the EP, 'Four Posts'.

• Tragic/Athletic are also gearing up for their latest EP, Brakes, which will be available sometime in December (or possibly June/July 2008 as I've heard elsewhere, I'm going to give December the benifit of the doubt though). Two of the four tracks, 'Three Months At Sea' and 'We Set Sail When The Wind Came', are available on their MySpace so I recommend investigating.

• If you can't wait for the above two releases then be sure to pick up Joel Saunders Girly Music EP which will be launched at Lofly Hangar tomorrow night. The EP features Joel covering songs by female artists, including an impressive remake Rihanna's 'Umbrella' (To the point were the song is no longer annoying!). As a lead up to the launch Joel has been blogging about his favourite cover songs, among which sits local band Shakes' cover of Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time'. I recommend having a look at the post here.
  

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I Heart Hiroshima, Yves Klein Blue supporting Tilly & The Wall @ The Powerhouse (2.8.07)

Last Thursday Faster Louder put on a free gig at The Powerhouse, featuring the Conor Oberst approved Tilly & The Wall supported by two 'hot new local acts', those being Yves Klein Blue and I Heart Hiroshima. I'd never been to a gig at The Powerhouse before (yeah, I didn't go to any of the Robert Forster shows... I know, I suck), so I was keen to check it out.

Walking into the venue, initial impressions were good. It certainly looked interesting. I was somewhat concerned about how the sound would come across in such a large concrete space, but I was optimistic. After waiting an hour for the first band (seriously, why would you advertise a gig as starting at 7:30 when the first band doesn't even get onstage until closer to 8:45?), Yves Klein Blue finally took to the stage. It was my first time seeing the band, and my initial thought was "hmmm, I can see where that $20k they won from that Kickstart competition went to?". In other words, they were decked out with some nice gear. My second thought was "hmmm, this sound is muffled and thin".

It seems to me that as nice as The Powerhouse is, it's not exactly the best place to see an energetic rock show. The huge space sucks up any energy that the band puts out, and the concrete walls that surround the performance area take care of any clarity that might have been found in the sound (maybe it was just because I was up on the walkways above the stage, out of the direct line of the speakers, but still, 1/3 of the audience was up there with me). Add the fact that the venue was maybe half full, and it became a difficult task for the bands to put on an engaging show. Personally, I thought that Yves Klein Blue struggled. They certainly have that British guitar pop/rock sound down pat, but to me they seemed to lack a bit of energy and spark. I just couldn't hear the hooks in their songs, and with the type of music they choose to play, melodic hooks are vital. Maybe it was just the sound of the venue, or maybe they're just not the next big thing that some people hail them as. I haven't heard their EP, so I'll wait before passing a more definitive judgement on the band. One thing is inarguable: they played for too long. My companions and I all agreed that they played at least three songs too many. For a local band playing first on the bill with only one EP to their name, a 45+minute set is too much. Then again, maybe that was the intention of Faster Louder when putting on this particular show - to put local bands on the same level as an international act. Whatever the reason, my point remains: too long.

I Heart Hiroshima faired somewhat better. Their lack of bass guitar helped to reduce the muffling effect of the venue, and their music is generally more frantic than that of Yves Klein Blue. Personally I've found a lot of the IHH shows I've seen in recent times to be somewhat lacking when compared to their early shows, where they used to rip your heads off with their aggression. While I think that they have undoubtably grown as songwriters over the last few years, live they have seemed lethargic and, at times, somewhat apathetic. This was not the case this particular night - the band was in good form, putting on the best show I've seen from them in quite a while. The only real criticism I have of them is that they had some really long breaks between songs. Their songs are generally quite short anyway, so to have a 1-2min break between them can kind of grind the show to a halt. Still, it was only an issue a couple of times through the set, so as far as the music went it was a good performance.

Tilly & The Wall finished off the evening. I'm sure there will be plenty of reviews of them elsewhere, so since they're not really within the scope of this blog I'll just say that my friend and I left after a few songs. Maybe if a) the venue had sound that was more conducive to their style of music, b) their tap-dancer wasn't sick, c) I wasn't so tired and d) they hadn't taken the stage to repeated calls of 'Brisbane, where the fuck are you!?', I might have stayed.



One thing I'd just like to mention: although I've repeatedly said that I didn't think much of the sound of the venue, I still think it can be a great place to see music. It would be an amazing place to see a more atmospheric band, like Bloon or Art of Fighting. Perhaps if the sound could be dampened in some way, so it wasn't so unclear, it would be suitable for more 'rock' acts too.

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Pauhaus Festival (9.6.07)

Sorry about the late post on this one guys, I've had a bit of a turbulent week. Last weekends Pauhaus Festival went off with a bang, and I would rate it as the best Brisbane festival I've attended so far this year. The $3.5 million used to fund the Powerhouse refurbishments was obviously well spent and I'm looking forward to the return of the Live Spark series (I Heart Hiroshima & Yves Klein Blue next Sunday arvo!).

Though I arrived at the Powerhouse around 2.15pm (It was scheduled to open at 2.30) there was already a long line outside; complete with numerous people looking to score tickets from non-existent scalpers. After a bit of a delay we made it in to see the first band Violent Soho. The Mansfield lads launched whole heartedly into a set featuring songs from their Pigs & TV EP as well as a number of new tunes. About half way through they were beset by a failing bass guitar. After attempting to fix it for a number of songs, bassist Luke gave in by first passing the bass to the crowd to play, and, finally, got involved in some grunge-friendly trashing of instruments which the rest of the boys quickly joined in with. All in all Violent Soho performed a tight yet exciting set as per usual; further cementing their place as leaders of the 90s revival in Brisbane.

A quick walk found us listening to the post-punk/britpop revivalist strains of Yves Klein Blue and, quite honestly, I wasn't impressed. I had heard all the hype surrounding the MTV Kickstart winners, yet to me they came off as a poor cousin to The Libertines. The entire set seemed too forced to be entertaining, and i found myself sufficiently bored. At the same time however I felt the need to remain and see what the fuss was about. My friends, however, seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. A telling factor in this may be that they were females, as was the entire front row, most who were screaming. I'll leave it until I seem them again next Sunday to cast judgment entirely.

Back in the Turbine Hall we came up against Gold Coast popsters Operator Please. For some reason I have been predisposed to dislike the kids for some inexplicable; I'm guessing it has something to do with lingering resentment due to living on the Gold Coast for 10 years. However I found myself enjoying their ever expanding array of fun pop songs. Vocalist/guitarist voice verges on angelic at times, so surprising for someone so young, while the rest of the band exude similar amounts of confidence. While they may not be the most innovative band in the world they are still young, and Operator Please are definitely a band to watch out for.

Next up was the Temper Trap. While I hadn't previously had the pleasure of seeing these Melbourne indie rockers before, I definitely wasn't disappointed. In spite of a number of technical failures during the set, the Temper Trap played an intimate set. Dougie and co teared through a set comprising songs from their EP and their forthcoming album. A more in depth review is hindered by the fact that the bands sound is indefinable; it sounds so familiar yet so unique at the same time, a rare feat indeed.


Bit By Bats are a never band I haven't previously seen live, and by all accounts they played an exciting, if a little non-descript, set. Hits "Go!Go!Go!" and "One Six One" were well received by the crowd who were soon moshing away to the energetic garage punks.

Apart from the Grates, Macromantics was the act I was anticipating the most, and I was duly rewarded. Kicking off with new track "Physical", Miss Macro flexed her lyrical skill. The former Noise Addict member is indefinitely Australia's preeminent MC, and she showed why at the Powerhouse. DJ Amy kicked up a storm on the decks, showcasing her skill on Macromantics' cover of Justin Timberlake's "My Love", and showing why she's is a vital partner in the Macromantics show.

The next band was Red Riders. Red Riders seem to be one of the buzz bands in the Australian music scene at the moment, and I can't for the life of me see why. This band exudes averageness; average songwriting, average sound, average members, and, overall, an average set at Pauhaus. Expect them to be massive by the end of 2007.

Now nearing the final stretch of the night we headed to the Powerhouse Theatre to catch Dappled Cities (Fly). The Sydneysiders performed an atmospheric set comprised mostly of material from recent album Granddance. Comparisons to the Arcade Fire are appropriate, and the guys ripped through songs such as "Fire Fire Fire", "Vision Bell", and set highlight "Holy Chord" with ease and skill.

Back in the Turbine Hall, The Panics had already began their set. Their country-tinged indie rock proved a crowd pleaser, with a surprising number of patrons singing along. A technically faultless set was backed up with an excellent set of songs. The new material on offer was particularly promising; their next LP is now one of my most anticipated.

A general disdain of Expatriate and the fact that I did not want to see Ed Kuepper play before I see The Saints next month meant that The Grates would be the next, and final, band of the night. A packed out Turbine Hall erupted in screams as Patience, John, Alana, and Panda Dan took to the stage. Although they lacked the intricate set design of their previous shows, the band put on an amazingly energetic set. Constant touring has obviously paid off exponentially, and many of the songs had subtle changes which improved them. The highlight of the set, however, was the inclusion of two new songs; "Hide & Die" and "Blue November". While the songs contained the components that made previous songs by The Grates so exciting, their songwriting has obviously improved in leaps and bounds. The new songs left the crowd salivating for more, and The Grates finished off with the one-two punch of "Trampoline" and "Inside Outside" which inspired what was probably the first ever occurrence of crowd surfing at the Powerhouse.

Overall the Pauhaus Festival went off a storm, and I am yet to hear a word of criticism. I'm also yet to hear any word of a return for the festival next year, but if there is I will be first in line for a ticket.

Thanks goes out to Charlyn Cameron who provided the awesome photo of The Grates above. Check out her website here.

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