[ New York City, Just Like I Pictured
It- December 14, 2001 ]
New York City...Just Like I Pictured
It written by Steve Reynolds
2001
has been a rough one on the city of New York — first the
death of Joey Ramone, then September 11th. Music was one
of the first things to help start the healing process for
the Big Apple, with major and minor benefits popping up
in the three months since the towers fell. But those benefits
mostly featured major artists that aren’t from New York.
So we at Wax Buildup decided to take a look at new records
from bands that slugged it out through the New York club
scene to get the chance to make an album.
New
York’s biggest rock music export of the past few years are
The Strokes. This quintet built up a buzz by playing a residency
at a Lower East Side club and by having a manager smart
enough to get them onto bills of national and international
bands sure to draw hipsters. Then they turned the buzz into
a deafening roar by being just lo-fi and cool-looking enough
to have the British press fawn over every appearance and
single. So does The Strokes debut, Is
This It (RCA) live up to all the hype? Not even close.
Every song sounds exactly the same — flat vocals, repetitive
guitar riffs and an odd lack of low end make it a difficult
listening experience. AC/DC and Lou Reed sound exactly the
same on every song, but they know how to make it work. The
single "Last Nite" is by far the best song of the album,
and lives up to the aforementioned hype. But it will likely
throw The Strokes into the one-hit-modern-rock-wonder junk
pile. [ buy Is
This It or more
from The Strokes ]
VPN have been kicking around the New York scene for a few
years and have put all the time to good use. The second album,
for nearby stars (Evil
Teen), grasps the many dichotomies of a New York life
and translates them into music. Drummer Eddie Gormley plays
a drum set made of traditional percussion elements and household
items that look like they were taken from a bum’s shopping
cart. Gormley’s inventive rhythms propel songs that sound
like anything from a cab ride from hell ("The Flood") to a
slow horse drawn ride through Central Park "Ten Years From
Tomorrow"). VPN’s songs aren’t about New York per se, but
one can tell they were most definitely made there.
From
the borough of Brooklyn comes Champale, an eight piece group
that blends many different influences into a gorgeous sound.
Their debut, Simple Days (Pitch-a-Tent)
was released through Pitch-A-Tent, the label run by Cracker’s
David Lowery. Considering that band’s musical range, it’s
not surprising Lowery would take Champale on. Their songs
— written by singer-guitarist Mark Rizzo — range from country
dirges, sweet Big Star-like pop songs, mid-tempo tunes that
grasp a slice from the Burt Bacharach songbook, and slow ballads
that build into a gorgeous wall of sound, are all here. And
most of these songs are seasoned with a non-traditional rock
instrument, the vibraphone. Simple
Days is one of the best albums released by a New York
band this year. Even better — it’s one of the best albums
released by any band this year. [ buy Simple
Days or more
from Champale ]
2001
has been a rough one on the city of New York — first the
death of Joey Ramone, then September 11th. Music was one
of the first things to help start the healing process for
the Big Apple, with major and minor benefits popping up
in the three months since the towers fell. But those benefits
mostly featured major artists that aren’t from New York.
So we at Wax Buildup decided to take a look at new records
from bands that slugged it out through the New York club
scene to get the chance to make an album. 
New
York’s biggest rock music export of the past few years are
The Strokes. This quintet built up a buzz by playing a residency
at a Lower East Side club and by having a manager smart
enough to get them onto bills of national and international
bands sure to draw hipsters. Then they turned the buzz into
a deafening roar by being just lo-fi and cool-looking enough
to have the British press fawn over every appearance and
single. So does The Strokes debut, 
VPN have been kicking around the New York scene for a few
years and have put all the time to good use. The second album,
for nearby stars (
From
the borough of Brooklyn comes Champale, an eight piece group
that blends many different influences into a gorgeous sound.
Their debut, 
©
Figgle 2001-2003