Now here is some DIY Pop that will put you in the mood for summer. ‘Colors’ is a plea to stop seeing the world in black and white, cloaked in big, big melodies with a hint of Indie Rock guitars and perfect vocal harmonies.
For a band that culls much of its material from the whirlwind of emotions caused by relationships, the lads from Washington DC picked a relatively obscure but appropriate name. Lovelorn Irish writer William Butler Yeats scolded his love interest, revolutionary Maud Gonne, in 1916 for preferring Nationalist politics over a dalliance with the smitten poet in the poem ‘No Second Troy’. End of history lesson.
I’m glad to say that the band’s music is far less academic than their philosophies. For starters, slap on the classic REM rock of the title track ‘Colors’ and the pumped up energy of ‘Let It Go’. Now you’re ready for the unbridled anthemic power of ‘Wake Up’, ‘Surfacing’ and ‘Golden Age’. It’s guaranateed pure goosebump material and free of any intellectual stodginess.
Our two MP3s below cover the middle ground between No Second Troy’s rock and ballad sides. ‘Black & White Movie’ is a nice, loose groover and ‘This Is The End Of Me’ combines a straight Dance Rock beat with a big anthem chorus.
Keyboard player Mike Beach explains that ‘Colors’ is about seeing the nuances in our relationships. ‘Take the song ‘Black & White Movie’, for instance, it is an acknowledgment that we overanalyse our relation-ships and foolishly seek the perfection we see in Hollywood movies, thereby having our relationships fall into one of two categories - bliss or something inadequate, in other words, viewing the world as a black and white movie,’ comments Beach
Engineer Chad Clark previously worked with US Post Punk legends Fugazi. Chad brings an uncluttered, sparse style to the mix which lends No Second Troy’s poppy arrangements a sense of understatement. This is Indie Rock that will run for miles before sounding tired.
Beach compares No Second Troy to a pre-stadium success Coldplay, aiming for a sound that appeals to critics and a broad audience alike. Walking the tightrope between underground credibility and commercial cache is a potentially soul destroying task for any artist. No Second Troy are trying to keep sane by playing their cards close to their chests. The band self-releases its music and collectively determines the musical direction without having to heed outside advice.
Here’s a band that can set its own pace without sounding either too rushed or too stale. Like a prefectly matured peach, ‘Colors’ is ripe for the picking now.
‘Colors’ is available now. Check No Second Troy’s site for more info.
Listen here to ‘Black & White Movie’
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Listen here to ‘This Is The End Of Me’
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