What ever happened to the big-sounding indie band? There seemed to be a lot of groups riding the Kasabian wave with their massive guitar sound and slamming percussion. But in the interim time between World Cup years, it’s a trend that’s fallen by the way side for a raw, sharper edged sound that’s much more stripped back.
Edinburgh based group Universal Thee, however, have as big a sound as it comes. Their new single ‘Bear In The Hospital’ should be played at maximum volume, all of the time.
A raucous trip down memory lane for music fans of a certain age and a welcome introduction for new listeners, the track is a winner from start to finish. Helped by an easy going but straight-laced sound, Universal Thee have managed to capture something that’s been sorely missing from the music scene for a good few years.
Acts like Kasabian, Keane and even the Kaiser Chiefs have become dinosaurs to a degree. Indeed, the latter group appearing on mainstream Saturday night TV did very little but expose just how much of a relic they are. The sound they produced, that lo-fi, pop rock ambience, has been committed to the history books, possibly never to be touched again.
Unlike other popular movements like Britpop, which is enjoying a renaissance, that sound doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It is therefore hugely encouraging and promising that a fresh faced group like Universal Thee can not only play and produce a track as enjoyable as this but do it well too.
A complete, quantified and qualified piece of work,’Bear In The Hospital’ is as enjoyable as it is amicable. Perhaps it’s time that the paying public gave the low-fi anthem another go and ushered in a new era of well produced, easy listening pop rock. After all, how much worse could it be than a lot of the rubbish already clogging the charts?
