'SWEET BUT TRUE' (single/ DAGALOST MUSIC)
Hull's something of a hotbed for cool indie-rock bands, and The Landau's - along with Still Life - are one of the freshest bands forging ahead within such a musical genre.
An exclusively laddish quartet, this is the young band's first major release, and has been recorded at the city's famous Fairview Studios. The production qualities are fantastic, but the quality of the songs themselves is what stands out, as 'Sweet But True' is a perfect indie-rock anthem. There is no arrogant posturing or egocentric egos to get in any of the musicians' ways or to cloud better judgement. Pure and simple, this is indie-rock anthem songwriting at its very best, with a soulfully chilled vibe and chunky, funky guitar riff.
While 'Sweet But True' suggests these lads - fronted by Danny Abbott - are mature and sensitive way beyond their ages (with the band members predominantly teenagers), the angstier 'Shit Happens' might make you wonder. Especially when they pettily base their theory that 'Shit Happens' largely on being ignored by a girl they're lusting after and little else. Ah, they'll learn.
And so, hopefully, will the city of Hull at large and the country beyond. Learn, that is, that - on account of their staggering 'Suffer' tune alone - The Landau's genuinely are one band not to be ignored. This track is the most beguilingly atmospheric, a guitar melody and masterful drumbeat creating such an intoxicating mood they could have elaborated just a little more and left 'Suffer' purely as an instrumental track. But no - they clearly aren't ones to take any easy options, and have instead multi-layered some awesome vocal performances over a complex song arrangement, revolving round its gusty guitar-charged chorus.
An insistent indie-band at large, some of The Landaus' rock 'n' roll spurts are Manics-sized, while a snatch of guitar solos wouldn't go amiss in any number of classic Iron Maiden numbers. So there: 'Sweet but true'� and now it's over to you.
(Steve Rudd)
www.thelandaus.tk