Let’s Embrace the Musical Diversity!
One of the best things about Roskilde Festival is the rich diversity found among festivalgoers as well as artists. So let’s start exploring this year’s musical landscape! Here are three very different bands that all share the ability to create groovy and intense songs that immediately engages the listener.
No matter if you’re an avid fan of Slayer, Sigur Rós or Soulwax, one thing is clear. Too much of anything is bad for you. So this post is dedicated to all you people hiding out there in the camping area, listening to the same mixed tape all week, crying your heart out to the band that defined your teen years, and only dragging your asses to the stages when your top 3 is playing. Let this be the year where you dive head first into the all-you-can-eat buffet and explore all corners of the musical landscape.
To get you started, here’s a brief introduction to three bands from this years lineup, which are all infectiously groovy and full of life in their own unique way.
FM Belfast is already your friends – you just haven’t met them yet. Hailing from the Capital of Financial Meltdown, Reykjavik, they are the living proof that money and happiness does not go hand in hand. I’ve been to a couple of their live shows, and it’s always ended up in lots of hugging, experimental dancing, and friend-making among the crowd.
Like taking a replenishing swim in a hot spring of sound. Imagine a multi-colored motley crew, spreading naive and no-tomorrowish happiness. Or I guess you could just call it an unlikely blend of 90’s euro-pop and 80’s east coast rap – with plenty of falsetto sprinkled on the top. Check out the video below, and then check them out at Roskilde. Still not convinced – they usually play a refreshingly odd cover version of Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name!
In the complete opposite side of the sound spectrum we have one of the true pioneers of polyrhythmic hardcore punk, Converge. I know this isn’t exactly Jack Johnson, and at first listen this will not make any sense to the unfamiliar listener, so take your time and adjust your ears slowly to this incalculably complex noise. Converge just released their seventh studio album, Axe to Fall, and is ready to rock Roskilde with one of their powerful live performances, which I promise you is something to behold.
Last but not least we have Los Angeles ALL-CAPS noiseters, HEALTH. I actually don’t know what to expect live from these guys. The band has two MySpace pages, one for noise and another for disco. They probably found it necessary to make extra room for all the club-friendly remixes from acts such as Crystal Castles, Curses!, and Narctrax. You probably all know Crime Wave, which I guess was a much a hit for Crystal Castles as for HEALTH. It seems the reason everyone is eager to remix HEALTH is because they produce noise that’s as non-rhythmic as it is groovy. This should be interesting!
So remember to shake all the hands you see!
