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Jeff Who? – Death Before Disco
Jeff Who? Exactly! Already quite successful back home in Iceland, the band won 3 FM and 1 Icelandic music award in 2007, they fairly unknown in the rest of the world.
After going
to the same school together, Jeff Who? was founded in 2004 and released their
debut album in 2005 on Bad Taste Records.
Their lack
of success abroad is a mystery since their sounds fits in perfectly with the
Indie pop that is currently dominating the charts all around Western Europe. The first track on the album “The
Morning After You” is a perfect example since it sounds like it could be one of
Razorlight’s smash hits. But they’re not to mistaken for copy cats. Sure, their
sound is highly orientated on the British Indie scene but they add their own twist
to the mix.
Most of their tracks can be described as
highly danceable pop tunes with big choruses and strong electro influences,
made especially powerful by Baddi’s Julian Casablancas – like singing voice.
The
majority of their songs would be floor filler at your local Indie disco like
“Bob Murray” or the more 80’s New Wave influenced “Teaser”. But theirs is also
another side to the band which can be seen on the slightly darker and swinging
“Puppy Eyes/Success” and “Barfly” (which could be seen as the Icelandic answer
to The Cribs’ “Hey Scenesters”).
The only
songs that are a bit disappointing are the rather generic “Faces” and “Bipolar
Breakdown” (although the song title almost makes up for the lack in
innovation).
All in all
“Death Before Disco” is a solid Indie record that deserves to be given a chance
outside of Reykjavik.
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