New music Sunday!

[the_drifter]

Have just downloaded first and second albums from the Boxer Rebellion off iTunes, after hearing a song of theirs off a KCRW podcast and then streaming most everything off their website. They're not revolutionizing the world of music, but they do a certain sound I like and they do it very, very well. Think the energy and driving rhythm of early Interpol, back before they went musically and lyrically off the rails, with a bit of Stateless thrown in somewhere around the vocal and piano tracks and the same orchestral sensibility as Snow Patrol's "Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking." Now quit wincing and presume they sound much less artificial and formulaic than that makes them sound. All three of those bands have tracks that, to me, sound like they spent three days in the studio and one of them finally said, "Shit, we've got nothing. Somebody whip out the formula book; we're gonna have to do this one by the numbers." The Boxer Rebellion's definitely moving through territory that's been covered before, and some tracks work better than others (at least on their debut, Exit; haven't gotten through Union yet), but I haven't heard a track yet that sounds like they're phoning it in. And if you can give me a good reason to dance around my kitchen in my pajamas while I make breakfast, then nine days out of ten you're good enough for me.

If you're looking for sample tracks to find out why I like them, check out "Flashing Red Light Means Go" or "We Have This Place Surrounded."