What would happen if the Killers, Franz Ferdinand and contagious sound decided to team up and make a band together?
Probably the result would be something like Remodel. With a sound that may remember to a Ferdinand style with a little touch of The Killers, La Belle Dame Sans Merci is a single which shows a contagius sound that mixed with a post-punk sound, with a little pop sound.
http://issuu.com/hopewhenmag/docs/7thissue
Live, Remodel remind us of what we should be experiencing, nay, demanding from a live gig in this day and age. Engaging, intelligent Rock/Pop performed with an energy and edge as sharp as the cut of their lapels. Remodel reject the lazy, minimum effort songwriting, jeans n’ t-shirts will do, attitude that seems to prevail on the circuit, at the moment.
Whilst there are many bands out there, sans humour, making a loud noise, with absolutely NOTHING to say, Remodel are rising to the surface, sparkling through the gloom with their bright, urgent sound, lyrical wit and exuberant performance.
From the twitchy, switch-blade delivery of their first single, “British Racing Green”, the post punk frenetic drive of their second single, “Formula” or “Cognoscenti” (complete with one of the finest, most insane and gleefully mischievous guitar breaks you are likely to hear this side of a bad acid trip), to the louche groove of their current release, “La Belle Dame Sans Merci”, Remodel are in the business of producing songs spiked with an addictive hook line and melody infection that gets right inside your brain and itches until you have to scratch to hear more.
See, the thing is, Remodel don’t have a problem with wanting every song they write, to be a hit. See, the thing is, Remodel don’t have a problem with trying to act too cool for school because, Remodel… Simply are… Cool.
Remodel are “Go”; Futurist Moderns in the 21st Century… Bright young things on a bohemian shoestring, functioning on a heightened state of pop intent, bashing out a message of anti ennui, inviting everyone who wants to have a bloody good time, to their party and into their world.
Already playing to a growing fan base and causing a stir amongst the Shoreditch / Camden / New Cross chattering youth, please see the attached sheet of independent reviews and comments, providing evidence of the impact Remodel are having out there.
God forbid, shock alors, Remodel have both concrete solid SUBSTANCE and STYLE…
As this decade comes to an end and all is clearly not well in the state of rock, it would do no harm to look to Remodel as an antidote to the homogenised, “reality” telly pop, or the MOR, mum friendly bands, currently suffocating the systems and clogging up our sensibilities.
2010: Re-think! Remodel are here to shake it out…
Go see ‘em live, download their songs, tune into their sound, tune into their world…
No idea where this one came from, but we love its absolute insanity
The last few days have had a strange impact on me. The evenings seem to be getting slightly longer meaning it’s not entirely dark walking around in the early evening and although still cold, the wind that has blighted our lives for the last lifetime has finally dropped away changing snow to rain and rain to showers. My friends, spring is coming.
It was with the optimism of a man in possession of this feeling that I made my way through the feral streets of London to the Albany to see a band starting to cause mutterings in the oh-so-trendy Camden cognoscenti (incidentally a name of one of their catchiest songs), Remodel.
The crowded Albany, although quietened by possibly the worst band I have ever seen playing beforehand, sprang into life as the band came on stage, picked up their instruments and immediately kicked into gear with a ferocious opening number. Heffernan (guitar) and Knight (bass) taking the strain on creating a tune with the depth and layers that many larger and better known bands would give their drummer for, and even with extra band members be unable to recreate. Ian Fourie (drums) behind, head down, beating the drums as if his life depended upon his performance, gun shot fills and crashing cymbals a plenty. Heading up the team the bearded (and majestically trousered) Swinn snarling, gesticulating, occasionally brooding but throughly entertaining to watch and hear.
The actual performance came and went in a blur of sweat, dancing and (in the case of Heffernan) star jumps, hooks a plenty. My personal favourite, their current single La Belle Dame Sans Merci – saw Swinn in swaggering persona, spitting out the simple chorus as the rest of the band beat their instruments to within an inch of their lives. As the final, accelerating riff of last song British Racing Green was being beaten out in a whirl of heavily hit guitars and drums, and a vocal imitating a roaring racing car sped to an end, guitars were thrown on the floor, and as quickly as the wall of sound arrived, it went.
I suppose you could look at the music industries state at the moment like the seasons – all these identikit pretty girls with synths singing soulless songs about things their publicist has told them to write about, X factor winners and graduates from the never-ending conveyor belt of toss the Brit School have caused a bleak winter in sound if you ask me. But with bands like Remodel snarling their way through the ranks we maybe in for a change. My friends, spring is coming.
Skinny Bones Jones
They’ve come a long way since I first saw them many moons ago. London based Remodels debut single was recently released on Sad Gnome Records. It features a tune that is almost their signature tune ‘British Racing Green’ and ‘That Obscure Subject Called Desire’. The first track opens up with a deep baseline that slowly progresses with drum and guitar. It’s a delightfully punchy sound that is complimented by crisp clear vocals (provided by Leigh Swinn). The level of the vocal in this number would be best compared to The Rakes. With catchy lyrics discussing the delights of getting away from it all in a British Racing Green car! It then builds up to a frantic finish with a frenetic drumbeat and racing guitars. A fine example of Indie music on offer by Remodel. The second A-side shows the diversity of the band with a different sound that reminds me more of northeastern bands. This however does not mean it differs in the punchy sound that ‘British Racing Green’ does. With slick lyrics and a catchy guitar riff its one that’s been on my favourite play list recently. I was really impressed by this and despite receiving the vinyl free I popped on to Itunes and purchased the mp3′s of the songs. Well worth a listen (check out their myspace) and bob on to itunes to listen to and perhaps purchase a fine piece of Indie pop.
Dom Chalk
I typically don’t fall for the double A-sided single concept – singles are naturally meant to have an A-side and a b-side (and whether the band contributes a solid song or a throwaway on the b-side is up to them). This record is one of many double A-sided singles I’ve seen, but they actually provided an alternate sleeve design for each side, so I guess that were it not for the A/AA markings on the record’s label, either side is worthy to be considered the lead track. The music itself is mod-inspired pop in the vein of Sportique and the Higher Elevations, with a pair of energetic and catchy songs. I don’t know much else about this London band – most importantly, how I can hear more from them), but I’d certainly love to!
http://www.indiepages.com/reviews/index.html
Remodel are a Shropshire born band who are now residing in London and from listening to thiks double a-side offering they have every chance of making it in the big smoke and beyond. Both Formula and Cognoscenti are written in the best traditions of British punk, vitriolic, pacey and with a real edge to them, musically it’s probably nearer to new-wave than punk and the lead singer (Leigh Swinn) has a touch of the Joe Strummer in his vocals, which is no bad thing. It’s a promising release from a band that are well worth keeping an eye out for, especially if they are playing live as I imagine they put on a good show.
http://www.thebeatsurrender.co.uk/daily/recordbox/formula-cognoscenti-remodel/
Remodel are a band that I had not, until the CD landed on my doorstep that is, come across and are a four piece, London based post-punk pop outfit. They have a excellent energetic style that gives there sound that little something to stand out above the others! Formula is a fast paced, energetic number that has been masterfully put together with some retro styling’s, it has hints of 60’s pop in there too which gives it a very unique sound. This is certainly a track that you’d be happy to hear come on in a club as it would get everyone going! Cognoscenti is another faced paced number, this track displays a urgency to their music along with some guitar playing that if it wasn’t for the rest of the band playing a singing you would swear it was a guitar solo. When you listen to this track you can hear the urgency in the lyrics and playing makes a fuller and more wholesome sound that relates back to there punk rock routes. A Fabulous display of musical talent, releasing more of this these guys are sure to make a splash in the musical pond!
Paul Richards – http://www.noizemakesenemies.co.uk/2008/03/remodel-formula-cognoscenti-single.html
Remodel have an effortlessly glossy indie sound with a hint of nostalgic 90′s Britpop. La Belle Dame Sans Merci has infectious hooks, a great sing-a-long chorus and an opening the blows you off your feet if you’re not expecting it.
Us And Them put them in a slightly different light. Heavily influenced by the Blockheads, you keep wanting to refer to them as scamps or rascals, for no justifiable reason. It’s catchy, danceable and… rascalish. (See what I mean) One for anyone who got to hear The Metros recently.
Chris Bound – Substock
Remodel release their third single on limited edition 7” single (yay for vinyl!) and after a bit of a false start it turns out to be just as good as British Racing Green and Formula. I say that because the first 30 seconds seem a little laboured for me and the vocals seem a little too restrained, i’m about to start feeling disappointed about this release when everything suddenly kicks into gear and the tempo is lifted into a more melodic new wave track than previous releases. On the b-side tucked away quietly is the equally good Us And Them, it’s got a bit more pace and balls about it than La Belle Dame Sans Merci, but maybe not the same classy sophistication. Two good tracks though and full steam ahead for the next release…keep ‘em coming!
http://www.thebeatsurrender.co.uk/daily/recordbox/la-belle-dame-sans-merci-remodel/
London nu wavers Remodel look great. In their suits and skinny ties they look like a jumble sale Jam or Franz Ferdinand at Oxfam. One day all bands will look like Remodel, and if they don’t the bloody well should.
The band’s sound is as sharp as the lapels on their suits and will appeal to fans of classic Brit pop.
On the band’s new single ‘La belle dame sans merci’, released earlier this month on Sad Gnome Records, lead singer Leigh Swinn’s sonorous crooning sounds like he’s had a larynx transplant with Gene’s Martin Rossiter as the donor, while behind him the band cook up a traditional English mixed grill of , The Who and The Jam. The b-side (isn’t this really redundant in these digital days?) ‘Us and Them’ and ‘Cognoscenti’ , the track provided for download below, are altogether spikier, like refugees from the Roxy in 1978 shacking up with the The Kaiser Chiefs.
They’re Remodel and they’re sounding good.
Paul Kerr – The Devil Has The Best Tunes
Remodel ‘la belle dame sans merci’ (sad gnome). Here in the basement of the well oiled ‘look I put it there I swear’ filing operations at the heart of the losing today tree house with turntable headquarters we’ve been mightily perplexed these last 10 minutes for not only have we managed to lose the press release to this CD came wrapped in but we’ve also mislaid the sleeve that housed in and the obliging sticker which we advised the band to attach onto said disc advising us to ’drop everything and play immediately’ – and yes I know there’s a highly hilarious Carry On joke somewhere in there but I’ll be buggered if I’m going to succumb to it. Anyhow latest offering from those nice people over at Sad Gnome records of whom it should be said whose depicted ‘label’ Gnome isn’t so much sad looking but quite possibly suicidal – poor fella have stumped up another corker to follow hot-ish on the heels of outings from the likes of My Name is Red and Marianne Nowottny in the shape of Remodels (I think) third single. ’la belle dame sans merci’ is roughly translated as ‘the beautiful lady without pity’ and not alas as ’bog off thank you’ which was the resulting option prized and offered up by google’s impish language tools add on. Between you and me it has more than a passing hint of Gene sparri ng with a mid career Six by Seven about its wares which is no bad thing, the sly and subtle corkscrewing riffs accentuated by a nagging lazy eyed drag and set off with something emotionally torn, forlorn and simmering with a kind off centre tension wherein you expect it to fire and unravel any second soon – sadly it never quite achieves such though that said there is a neat Neil Young moment at three minutes in which frankly does more than enough to save it and make it alone worthy enough of the entrance fee. That said in sharp contrast and it should be said for us the far superior of the brace is ‘us and them’ – more animated and teeth bared in both terms of dynamic and delivery, the acutely snaring riff jabs, the call / response interchanges between the lead vocal and the backing harmonies, the stop / start time signature shifts and the elementary whiff of something impatient endow it with a knowing hint that would suggest the feint agitant demeanour of the Fatima Mansions brooding just below the surface, though scratch a little deeper and the tensely wound and sharpened angular pop drills are found more appropriately nodding in the general direction of a late 70’s era Stranglers.
www.losingtoday.com/tales.php?id=278
