If It's Too Loud...

Photo by  Clémentine Schneidermann Manchester, UK's Westside Cowboy have a great take on the whole indie rock thing. Their latest single, "Pin Up Boys," is a loud and rockin' track with just the slightest hints of country twang. This is indie rock with a focus on the rock that we haven't seen in quite a while. The abrasiveness of the song mixes with an unexpected melody. Bands that immediately come to mind while listening to "Pin Up Boys" are The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers mixed with the Pixies. Westside Cowboy are the kind of band that are going to be beloved by indie rock hipsters with a potential massive crossover potential for more mainstream rock fans. Vocalist Reuben Haycock says of the band's latest single: “‘Pin Up Boys’ was written a year and a half ago using an acoustic guitar, a drum machine sample pad and some screwdrivers as drumsticks. It is by far the longest serving song on the album and the one that we have played the most liv...

Photo by Charlie Barclay Harris Indie rock isn't usually as big as it is in the latest single from Westside Cowboy, but the Manchester band makes an argument in favor of huge indie rock songs with their latest. "Can't See" is a two and a half minute song that's both noisy and catchy. It's reminding me of a more poppy version of Sonic Youth's Geffen Records albums. It's surprisingly dance friendly, with driving guitars and slacker vocals. Our only complaint is that at one hundred and fifty seconds, "Can't See" leaves you desperate for more. Westside Cowboy is art rock/indie rock at its finest and most accessible. This is a band sure to be huge sooner than later. Westside Cowboy say of their latest single: “This was day 1 in the studio and the first song to get ripped apart and put back together! It’s a short one, but we feel like we fit everything in: a riff, some verses, some choruses, Conga breakdown and some other stuff. We like songs t...

Photo by Charlie Barclay Harris Westside Cowboy started after James (Jimmy) Bradbury read Billy Bragg's book on the history of skiffle. The band may have been inspired by the early UK rock and roll movement described in Roots, Radicals and Rockers , but they certainly don't sound much like that genre. Their latest single, "Don't Throw Rocks," has a much more indie rock style, with a guitar sound that seems to combine country twang with indie rock whine. Despite being just over three minutes, "Don't Throw Rocks" is a giant epic of a song that builds and builds upon itself. Westside Cowboy have crafted an impressive new single that has us desperately craving more. The band says of their new single: “Jimmy’s lyrics on this deal a lot in time and change, and how it, more often than not, moves out of our control and without niceties. We wanted the music to reflect this too. With each section, we wanted to add a new gear, to increase the intensity until it...