Alison Galea’s voice makes me nostalgic for the 90s when pretty girls with pretty voices fronted ROCK bands and mildly to moderately ROCKED OUT while still looking pretty. I hated those girls (by the way, I’m using the term ROCK because I can’t really think of a more specific adjective-slash-noun, but you know what I’m sayin’). You must remember those girls too; it’s likely they populated your “formative” years, when your hair was uncomfortably long and your jeans were uncomfortably shredded. Maybe Beangrowers need to step into the 21st century, maybe not. With Not in a Million Lovers the band reminds us that pretty music is still marketable, even within the prickly landscape that is indie rock (one that often favors eccentricity over simple pleasures).
The promotional single off of Not in a Million Lovers is “Quaint Affair,” a steady-moving, synth-y wash of pure ambient pop. It’s perfectly lovely if not a bit forgettable (like trying to describe a song to someone and being unable to even hum the chorus). Other tracks are more memorable: the cheekily titled “Good Band Bad Name” marries the warbled vocals of grrrl power-pop (a la Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Elastica) with shades of extreme sonic agility. Their European sensibilities are obvious—though they call Malta ‘home,’ the band is mostly recognized in Germany, where they achieved Top 20 status in 1999. And like any good European musicians, they cite The Cure, Depeche Mode and Joy Division as influences. It’s all a bit obvious, but at the same time, it all works.
Just this year Beangrowers secured their indie-on-the-rise status by playing SXSW for the third time (the first was in 2004). Though the band may already be a familiar facet of the blogger community—which, as we all know, is fertile breeding ground for The Next Big Thing—slowly, it seems, they’re making progress on North American soil (they’ve been recording for little over a decade, a mere speck on any artist’s lifeline). I will say this: Beangrowers sound like they know what they’re doing; this is not a silly vanity project for overeducated, underwashed-yet-absurdly-attractive scenesters. They’re completely polished, with just enough edge to tempt curiosity.
Not in a Million Lovers is available now. You can purchase tracks by visiting the band’s Myspace page. They do have an official website, but it’s either under construction or invalid, because the URL leads nowhere (www.beangrowers.net).
Links: beangrowers.net mintyfresh.com
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