Friday 3rd November, 2011
What does this band sound like ? I never know how to answer that properly.
It was simpler back in the day. You had rock and pop, soul and reggae, country, classical, folk. That was about it and you knew where you were.
Nowadays – well, this is a desperately incomplete and in no way definitive list of the genres inhabiting today’s musical landscape. See if you can spot the ones that I’ve made up. Although of course that doesn’t mean they aren’t genuine genres even if only by coincidence.
Indie, Shoegaze, Techno, House, Funk, Jazz-Funk, Jazz.
Acid Jazz, Acid Folk, Acid House, Acid Drops.
Drum and Bass, Jungle, Grime.
Crunk, Donk, Emo, Screamo, Romo.
Punk, Nu-Punk, Ska-Punk, Skater-Punk, Jazz-Punk.
Country, Western, Country AND Western, Bluegrass, Alt.country.
Folk, Alt.folk, Antifolk
Prog rock, Classic Rock, Jazz-Rock, Post-rock, Math Rock.
Grunge, Clunge, Flange
Garage, UK Garage, Two-Car Garage.
Death Metal, Black Metal, Nu-metal
Pop, Chamber Pop, Wonky Pop, Swingbeat.
As soon as you define something musically, you pigeonhole it. And you put off some people who may have liked it, while other people think they’re going to like it and don’t.
If I describe Talons as post-rock that will put people off because they have heard one band that is a post-rock band (say Mogwai) and they didn’t like them.
If you have never heard of either of these bands, and there’s no particular reason why you should have, then how about this – would you say that just because you don’t like UB40, that means you won’t like Bob Marley ? They’re both reggae artists, after all.
So, Talons.
Talons are a bit mathy and a bit posty. And instrumental.
Six impossibly young looking lads from Hereford, apparently.
They have a unique line-up consisting of two guitars, bass and drums – and not one but two violins, played in the ferocious manner of Klaas Janzoons on early dEUS albums.
According to their website (link below but read the rest of this blog article first, its good!) Talons play neither post-rock nor math-rock but something in-between. So, a bit mathy and a bit posty. I’d also say a bit proggy and a tiny bit thrashy, but only when its called-for.
It reminded me a bit of Grammatics fused with Mogwai, but the band may well disagree.
They open with an astonishing seven or eight minute epic piece of melodic noise. As soon as the music starts they’re transformed from six diffident young lads into a transfixing noise unit, perfectly in synch, confident in their creation of a unique, brilliant sound.
These boys can really play. The drummer holds it all together brilliantly through the odd time signatures.
They have an album out called “Hidden Treasures”. Its superb, and you should buy it – but you should also go see them live, cos that’s where they take it to another level.