Hello, then, to Grammatics, an unfeasibly youthful-looking Leeds combo, as they unleash their debut single unto the world.
Of course, the responsibility of the debut single is considerable. It’s got to convince the listener that this band, with their lack of pedigree, is worth investing time in. It’s got to represent the act as unique, innovative, necessary. In short, it’s got to quickly warm up a cold audience and leave them wanting more. No mean feat, yet by these criteria, ‘Shadow Committee’ does a good job.
Sure, perhaps it’s a little close to the precocious emoting of Panic! At The Disco for comfort, though a little less verbose and a little more, well, interesting. It’s an elusive beast, twisting and turning in order to avoid easy definition – you get the feeling they don’t think of their songs’ constituent parts as verses and choruses, but rather as movements.
By the end, it’s a far more exhausting four minutes than one might have bargained for, which can only be a good thing, yet despite the invention, it’s still a pleasingly coherent listen. Grammatics aren’t the finished article - they do run the risk of favouring the head over the heart slightly too much - but the potential is certainly there.
can see anything close to Panic! At The Disco...
Good band.
Good single !
CAN'T see...
Awesome
In my top 5 singles this year. also the b-side broken wing is simply astonishing.
Ali
this is getting embarassing.
7?
Not to these ears... easily an 8 or 9. And no mention of 'Broken Wing'!
8 or 9 rob????
i'd say 10, easily!
you would though ;)
Panic At The Disco??
Hmm, not seeing that at all. I think there's more than enough heart to match the head here, definitely one of the best debut singles I've heard in a long time, and certainly an 8 at least.
Great song..
but none too fantastic review.
I too, am lost to see the Panic! comparrisons apart from the use of instruments other than guitars and drums.
.
Im really not in favour of this review. I dont see why the comment about favouring movements over verse, chorus, verse etc can be featured in the same paragraphy as Panic at the Disco. Comparing any new band to an already existing band really restricts their future potential.
The Cardiacs
that's who Grammatics remind me of.
yep
because their names both end in 'cs'?
No.
Because they bloody well sound like em!
this is a very..
well constructed and beautiful song. well done grammatics.
...
Grammatics FTW
In response to y'all...
I guess it was mainly the vocals in the opening part of the song that brought Panic! At The Disco to my mind, and I found the comparison with Panic! useful in trying to convey what I meant by "precocious emoting". But on reflection, I guess it was a bit of a sloppy comparison. Apologies and all that.
In response to cat_courtney, though, I certainly defend being able to bring comparisons with other bands into reviews - especially in this case. It's a debut single, so there's a good chance the reader won't have heard Grammatics before, and drawing comparisons with other bands brings in useful points of reference. Surely a band's future potential will only be restricted by this if they choose to slavishly follow the template set by the band they've been compared to, which no band worth their salt would do.
As for the heart measuring up against the head, I didn't say that the heart is especially lacking in this particular song - but the track was enough to suggest to me that they may run the risk of favouring the head too much in future, considering that they seem to place such great emphasis on cerebrality.
Anyway, as I say in the review, a good track from a promising band.
.
Those arguements are all decent points. Fair enough