scottvalid
BEEN A LITTLE SLOW with blog entries lately. I’m working on a new article that should be up sometime today, so Mom and Aunt Marge can rest easy. Actually there is no ‘Aunt Marge,’ and I don’t think my mom knows about this site, so I probably have even fewer readers than my self-deprecation would suggest.
Nevertheless, I want to take a moment and draw your attention to a band I found out about over the weekend. Plenty of folks are already familiar with them, I’m sure, but as I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve been under a rock for the last couple of years, so this is all new to me.
The band in question is called The Zatopeks and they hail from London, though I’m not certain if that’s where they’re currently based. Their music is an exquisite mix of classic Lookout-inspired ‘pop-punk’ with a vintage rock and roll sensibility, the end result being something along the lines of Elvis Costello fronting a legit punk band, or, as the band themselves describe it, ‘Buddy Holly covering Rocket to Russia.’
By effectively evolving what can sometimes be a constraining genre, though without making it unrecognizable, The Zatopeks are a cut above the average ‘pop-punk’ band. Further, they’re strengthened by their lyrics and the vocal delivery of their frontman Will DeNiro—who doubles as the mind behind the blog Quality Footwear—proving that one can be authentically poignant and insightful while still making ‘damn fool music,’ which is what, in my opinion, rock and roll is all about (indie rockers please take note).
Do yourself a favor and check out the songs they have up on their myspace page. ‘Jumble Sale’ and ‘City Lights’ are my personal favorites, but all of them are ‘quality’ as Will would say.
First it was Dave Breedlove with his Bubbledumb bands (Nobunny, Personal and the Pizzas, and co.) as well as a few other recommendations (The Flakes, The Okmoniks, etc.), then it was The Prozacs, followed by The 20Belows, and now The Zatopeks. This is turning out to be Christmas in February for me as far as ‘new’ music goes…
- scott
