John Wayne Shot Me - The Purple Hearted Youth Club
Website: http://www.johnwayneshotme.nl/
MP3: Let Sleeping Monsters Sleep
Okay, this is another one of those infamous Stayfun cheats, fobbing off JWSM as a recommendation rather than a review. Well it is a recommendation that everyone must own and love their new album, so get around that one Mr. Lawyer. Anyway, the song link you see above you is originally from last year’s Let Sleeping Monsters Sleep EP (and if you think i've already recommended it in the past simply sit down and shhhhh). It was a gloriously short little thing filled with quirky cover songs and that one original piece - which was just as fun as the rest. This year it has been revitalised and sits as track eight on their lovely new album The Purple Hearted Youth Club.
So John Wayne Shot Me, what’s the deal? Fuzzy guitars, keyboard bleeps, samples from computer games, silly and fun lyrics inspired by sci-fi and TV, and sunny boy-girl pop melodies that have that Dutch-American thing going on (although I mean it in a good way). Their material is never heavy or dull, and if you’re looking for something challenging to wring out deep thoughts from your inner conscience, then their album isn’t the ideal pick. On the other hand, if you’re looking for something to slip in your discman so you can walk (or cycle) around the streets smiling stupidly, then it’s pretty much perfect.
You can get a great idea of the band’s sound immediately from the MP3, but overall The Purple Hearted Youth Club takes things to a new level. It surpasses their previous releases, coming home like a weird crossbreed of Grandaddy and Bis. Rather than being weak or derivative in points, they’ve really proven themselves as great pop songwriters, and as far as indie-guitar-pop goes, I expect this to be amongst the best I hear all year. I say that with much confidence after already pounding the streets numerous times with it broadcasting in my ears, and it really has the potential to be an indie hit all over the world, not just the Lowlands.
Steven McCarron - 08-02-2005
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