Musings on Music -- We Are The Physics / Coroner For The Police / Big Wave / Daughter

OK. This is the point where I start to ask my self, Do I need to write an introduction? Well, I should, I suppose. This is only the fourth of what I have so far described as a weekly post on music “what I have found” (H/T Ernie Wise).
Most of the music is new, most is British, and most I’ve heard on Tom Robinson’s BBC6 Mixtape podcast. I’ve usually also searched for a video online, ripped it and then uploaded it to my Youku page. If you have any suggestions about new bands I should give a listen, I’d be glad to hear from you here or follow me on Twitter or Sina Weibo (look out for the #Sunday Soundtrack# tag).
                
                
We Are The Physics
"Dildonics"
"Goran Ivanesivic"
As I’ve said before, the way I write about music is basically centered on weak comparisons: This sounds likes … he reminds me of … I saw something similar in … I sure this guy used to cut my hair. Yet, We Are The Physics, you have stumped me. I can’t think of one terrible comparison. Sure, I could reel off a list of the usual punk-inspired bands, talk about thumping baselines and incomprehensible lyrics that are best left incomprehensible. But I won’t. “Dildonics” blew my mind at 42 seconds, when the stunted shouts turn into this amazing bass-led riff that I can only imagine absolutely sends crowds flying at live gigs.
Formed in 2005, originally as We Are The Physics Club and Therefore Everything We Say Is Fact, this four-piece is known for their eccentric and frenetic stage shows, as well as a “nerd rock b-movie aesthetic.” They certainly have a sense of humor, I’ll give them that. On their website, they claim their new album is being developed as a self-replicating virus that will delete all other mp3s on your computer, and then confirmed this to be a lie. The other track here, “Goran Ivanesivic,” is also fun and just the names conjures up memories of the hours I sat on my couch watching Wimbledon on the BBC when I should have been in school. I probably missed out on a lot of physics lessons because of Goran and his quick-serving, broken-English-speaking friends. I guess I can make up for it with these tracks.
                
                
Coroner For The Police
"Born Liar"
More retro and arguably more polished than I usually like them, “Born Liar” sounds like it belongs on an album called “World’s Best Rock Anthems” or something. That’s not a necessarily a complement, mind. There is something a bit too formulaic about this, but you’ve got to appreciate that it’s well written and a clean piece of production. Also, it passes the foot-tapping test, which is bare minimum for any “underground rock” (what I call the stuff dads puts on while fixing/breaking things in their basement).
CFTP (silly name and silly abbreviation) describe themselves as “a band of musical reprobates with only one thing on their mind ... meaty riffs. Songs that pull you out of peaceful slumber, slap you in the face, drag you into the street, and then give you some whisky to improve the fact that you're now standing in the road in your pyjamas with a stranger.” They formed at the start of 2012, and this track comes from their EP, “Swamp Box.”
 
                
                
Big Wave
"Dying on the Vine"
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of cheery, innocent folk pop every now and then, and this one fills my quota for the month, I’d say. For me, listening and watching the video makes me think of what might have happened if those kids from Narnia had re-emerged from the wardrobe and started a band. It might sound a little like this. Yes, the word “twee” is on the tip of my tongue, and they do make me think of afternoon tea or bopping at a 12-year-old’s birthday party rather than a twisting at an underground club with an eclectic jukebox; but all in all I love the guitar work, and the shoe-gazing vocals are strong enough not to get annoying. It was not a surprise to find that the band, formed in February 2011, are from “the coastal paradise that is Torquay” in the UK, their words, not mine. They do have a very beachside, carefree sound.
                
                
Daughter
“Youth”
“Still”
Last and certainly not least today is two beautiful tracks by Daughter, an English indie folk band formed London in 2010. Originally the solo work of Elena Tonra, the band is now a trio with the addition of guitarist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella. Again, there are so many groups I could make a comparison to, but they’d all be slightly off. Ultimately, what carries with these tracks is the drama, somewhat the kind of feeling (not sound) you get with Depeche Mode. It’s almost like being given a glimpse at the view of the narrator, not a character directly involved in the play, someone watching from afar with a sympathetic eye. Their first full-length album, “If You Leave,” was released in March 2013.
That’s enough from me. Enjoy the music.